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GETHSEMANE AND 
AFTER 



GETHSEMANE AND 
AFTER 



A NEW SETTING OF AN 
OLD STORY 



By 



The Reverend Cyrus Townsend Brady 
LL.D. 

Rector of Trinity Churchy Toledo \ Ohio 

And Sometime Archdeacon of Kansas , Archdeacon 

of Pennsylvania, etc., etc. 



NEW YORK 

MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY 

1907 






U3RARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cooles Received 
MAY 1 1907 
a Copyneht Entry 

cuss OA xx£. No, 

COPY B.' r 



Copyright, 1907, by 

MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY 
New York 



Published April, 1907 



TO MY PARISHIONERS IN TOLEDO 

AND TO MY FRIENDS 

THERE AND EVERYWHERE 

I DEDICATE 

THIS ATTEMPT TO BRING HOME TO 

HUMANITY THE REALITIES OF 

OUR LORD'S PASSION 



PREFATORY NOTE 

I have written this book with the prayer that 
it may be read by many to whom the Gospel 
narratives are as sealed books. The Bible is a 
volume which everybody respects, which few 
people read, and which fewer study. I cherish 
the hope that some into whose hands this little 
book falls may be inspired by it to examine the 
Sacred Story to see whether these things be 
true or not. 

I have followed closely the order of events 
so far as I could determine them, only deviating 
from the record in one instance— the futile at- 
tempt of Judas to exculpate himself. This took 
place after the second trial of Jesus by the 
Sanhedrin in the morning, and the money was 
cast down in the Temple, instead of in the High 
Priest's house as I have arranged it. I did not 
deem it necessary to repeat the second trial 
which was practically identical with the fiirst, 
hence the change noted. 

C. T. B. 
Trinity Rectory, Toledo, Ohio 
Passiontide, 1907 



CONTENTS 




PARTI 




GETHSEMANE 




I. The Agony in the Garden 


13 


II. The Betrayal .... 


25 



PART II 
THE TRIAL BEFORE THE JEWS 



I. 


Peter at the Wicket Gate 


41 


II. 


Questioned by Annas 


45 


III. 


The Trial Before Caiaphas . 


51 


IV. 


The Sifting of Peter 


63 


V. 


The Son of Perdition 

PART III 
THE PRAETORIUM 


70 


I. 


The Accusation 


79 


II. 


The Justification . 


89 


III. 


The Acquittal .... 


93 


IV. 


The Condemnation 


97 


V. 


Behold the Man 


117 



10 Table of Contents 

PART IV 
THE VIA DOLOROSA 

I. The Crossbearer to the King . 129 
II. The Daughters of Jerusalem . 137 



PARTV 
GOLGOTHA 

I. The Crosses on the Hill . . 143 

II. The Hours of Darkness . . 158 

III. The New Tomb in the Garden . 164 



PART VI 
THE RESURRECTION 

I. The Testimony of the Soldiers . 175 

II. The Testimony of the Women. . 191 

III. The Upper Chamber . . 203 

IV. The Confession of the Doubter . 215 



Part I. 
GETHSEMANE 



I. 

The Agony in the Garden 
Scene: A wooded garden, or olive grove, 
on the slope of a mountain, within which is an 
oil press. Time: About an hour after midnight. 
The moonlight filters through the thick foliage 
of the olive trees. The air is fragrant with blos- 
soms of spring-time. The night is very still and 
calm; over all a brooding silence. Across an in- 
tervening valley on distant hills the low lights of 
a sleeping city gleam faintly in the silver radiance 
of moon and stars. Not far away a mountain 
brook trickles through the stones on its way 
down the hills. Enter through the gate THE 
MAN and His disciples, a little band of eleven 
men. They halt uncertainly by the gate within 
the garden. Separating three by a gesture THE 
MAN motions to the remainder to sit down and 
wait under the trees. 



14 Gethsemane and After. 

Jesus 
(to the little group) 
Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. 
The eight with murmurs and signs of obedience 
dispose themselves upon the grassy banks while 
Peter, James and John, the three chosen, atten- 
tively watch Him, wondering. 

Peter 
(impulsively) 
Lord, what shall we do? 

Jesus 
(turning away) 
Follow Me. 

He walks slowly some distance into the garden 
followed by the three chosen disciples. Presently 
He stops and faces them. 
Jesus 
My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto 
death. 

They press closer to Him to hear the better. He 
motions to them to stop where they are and to sit 

down - Jesus 

Tarry ye here, and watch with Me. 

After a moment He turns away again and 

plunges farther into the deeper shadow of the 



Gethsemane and After. 15 

trees, leaving the three disciples on their knees. 
They pray softly for a little space, but it is 
late, they are tired, they gradually sink down 
upon the ground and presently fall asleep. Those 
nearer the gate have preceded them and are al- 
ready slumbering. 

Jesus 
{kneeling and lifting up His arms after a long 
period of silent prayer) 

O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass 
from Me! 

He buries His head in His hands and falls for- 
ward upon His face exhausted. 

Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt. 

The anguish of His soul racks His body with 
long shudders of pain. His forehead is beaded 
with sweat and drops of it fall upon the ground 
bedewing the grass. There is a longer silence. 
Presently He lifts His head and gazes upward 
into the heavens as if summoned to look. He is 
slowly aware of a soft light shining in the dark- 
ness. It takes shape, and lo, an angel ministers 
unto Him. He looks long into the bright still face 
of the heavenly vision, and draws answer and 
comfort from what He sees. And the light fades 
away. THE MAN slowly rises and retraces His 



16 Gethsemane and After. 

steps till He comes upon the prostrate forms 
of the three disciples. A short distance beyond 
them He discerns the larger group farther away. 
All are sound asleep. 

Jesus 
{laying His hand upon Peter, the nearest of the 
three sleeping -figures) 

What ! Could ye not watch with me one hour ? 

Simon Peter awakens. He opens his eyes, 
raises himself upon his hands and then suddenly 
springs to his feet. He stands before THE MAN 
in shame and confusion. His hasty movement and 
startled ejaculation awaken the other two sleep- 
ers, and they also get to their feet in humiliation 
and dismay. 

Jesus 
(to James and John) 

What ! Could ye not watch with Me one hour ? 

The two men stand before Him in deep con- 
trition and abasement. They know not what to 
say. 

Peter 



Lord— I- 
Master — 
Rabbi — wi 



James 
John 



Gethsemane and After. 17 

Their voices die away in the silence. 

Jesus 
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into tempta- 
tion. 

Peter 
(with intense emphasis) 
Though all my brethren should sleep again, yet 
will I not sleep while Thou prayest. 

Jesus 

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is 
weak. 

He again turns from them and goes a second 
time farther toward the center of the garden. 
The three disciples stare after Him till His form 
is lost in the darkness. Peter makes an impetu- 
ous movement as if to follow Him, but is re- 
strained by the others after a little struggle. They 
kneel and pray quietly for a long time, until at 
last James and John fall asleep and finally Peter, 
himself, sits down upon the grass with his back 
against an olive tree, and again he is overcome 
with slumber. 

Jesus 
(kneeling in the profound depth of the gar- 
den before a huge boulder between two of the 



18 Gethsemane and After. 

trees, upon which He outstretches His arms and 
bows His head upon them) 

O, My Father, if this cup may not pass away 
from Me except I drink it, Thy will be done. 

After a long pause THE MAN rises and again 
retraces His steps. He stands amazed before the 
three sleepers. And as before He stoops down 
and touches Peter on the shoulder. 

Jesus 

Simon, sleepest thou? 

And once more the three disciples awaken and 
sit up. In the bewilderment of their sudden 
arousing they do not fully comprehend the situ- 
ation, but when they realize that they have again 
failed Him, they gaze painfully at the pale face 
of THE MAN faintly glowing as if with light 
supernal where He stands in the shadow of the 
olive trees and then in shame and despair silently 
hide their faces in their hands. 

Jesus 

Sleep on now and take your rest: behold, the 
hour is at hand. 

He turns once more into the garden and again 
kneels down before the great rock at the farther 
side. The three men do not lift their faces from 



Gethsemane and After. 19 

their hands this time. They listen, however, till 
the footfalls die away. Presently they hear a 
voice. Peter rises to his feet and leans forward 
in an attitude of extreme attention. He motions 
the others to silence. James and John kneel and 
listen. Although the words are scarcely breathed 
above a whisper, they still hear the pleading 
voice with its note of agonised appeal. 

Jesus 
(within the garden) 
Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee ; 
take away this cup from Me ! 

John 
{in an agitated whisper to James his brother) 
What is this that He saith? 

James 
(shaking his head doubtfully) 

I cannot tell, I 

Peter 
(enforcing quiet with a gesture) 
He speaketh again. Be still. 

Jesus 
(within the garden) 
Nevertheless not what I will, O Father, but 
what Thou wilt. 



20 Gethsemane and After. 

The three listen further but no other sound 
comes to them. 

John 
{in painful indecision) 
What is this cup that He must drink? 

Peter 
{impulsively) 
Let us go to Him. 

James 
{laying a restraining hand upon him) 
He bade us watch here. 

Peter 
{in bitter self-reproach) 
And we have twice failed Him. 
He leans against a tree and folds his arms. 
John and James sit closer together at his feet. 
There is a long silence. Peter nods and recovers 
himself with a start. 





Peter 




{after 


listening in 


vain) 


Perchance He sleeps. 






James 






{slowly) 




It may be so. 







Gethsemane and After. 21 

John 
(apprehensively) 

I hear no sound. 

A longer pause. John and James hearing noth- 
ing and tired with listening at last fall asleep 
again. Peter turns and rests his head on his arms 
and these in a crotch of the crooked tree which 
supports him. He prays silently, fighting against 
sleep until finally he, too, gives way. He awakens 
a third time to a touch. He straightens himself 
and opens his eyes and once more confronts THE 
MAN. The agony and suffering in Jesus* face 
have disappeared. The sorrow and incertitude 
have given place to an ineffable calm. Jt is the 
Christ of the morning, not of the midnight, of 
light, not of darkness, who looks at the disciple 
now. THE MAN'S voice is once more calm, 
even and steady. The peace of decision has sup- 
planted the turmoil of the night. Peter opens his 
mouth to speak words of protestation and ex- 
cuse. 

Jesus 

(silencing him with a gesture and a word) 

It is enough. (He turns to the other two and 
awakens them in turn.) Why sleep ye? Rise 
and pray lest ye enter into temptation. 



22 Gethsemane and After. 

The three cluster about Him shamefaced and 
in deep abasement of heart. He turns away. 



Jesus 
(to the faithless watchers) 

Follow Me. 

He walks toward the gate followed by the 
three men whom He had chosen and who had 
failed Him. He stops by the side of the eight 
who have slept peacefully through all. He looks 
at them a moment or two in silence. He turns 
and points outside the garden toward the city. 
Flickering lights appear in the road below, and 
are seen intermittently through the trees. Faint 
noises are heard; a trampling as of footsteps, a 
subdued murmur of voices, a ring of steel on 
steel. 

Jesus 

The hour is come. 

He motions the three to awaken the others. 
They rise to their feet sleepily and all uncompre- 
hending look uncertainly about them. 

Jesus 
(stepping forward into the open and cleared 



Gethsemane and After. 23 



space about the gate where the moonlight shines 
brightest) 

Let us be going. 

The tumult outside grows louder. The noise of 
the approach of a considerable band of men is 
now plainly heard by all. Lurid flames from 
smoking torches mingle with the pure radiance 
of the white moonlight and stream over wall and 
hedge-row into the garden itself. THE MAN'S 
figure in the foreground is brightly illuminated, 
projected against the nervous huddle of His fol- 
lowers in the half light on the edge of the clear- 
ing, and all rising against the background of im- 
penetrable darkness of the deeper shade where 
He had prayed. 

The Temple Captain 

(outside the gate) 
Halt. 

With a iinal movement the noise outside ceases 
abruptly as the moving men come to a sudden 
stop. The clash of sword against armour which 
sends a clear, gentle, ringing sound through the 
night, the fall of the butts of staves, or spears, 
against the stones of the way bespeak armed men, 



24 Gethsemane and After. 

soldiery. Again in the pause the officer's voice 
is heard but now less sharply. 

The Temple Captain 
(questioning) 
Art sure the Nazarene is here? 
Another voice which the men at Jesus' back 
recognise with a start of horror and amazement 
answers : 

Judas 
(with confident assurance) 
It is His custom here to pray. 

The Temple Captain 
(still unconvinced) 
And how shall we know this Galilean? 

Judas 

(emphatically) 

Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He. 

Jesus 
(turning to the little band and with a sweeping 
gesture, pointing beyond the gate) 

Behold, he that betrayeth Me is at hand. 



II 

The Betrayal 

The Temple Captain 
{from the roadivay without the garden) 

Out swords. Forward. 

After a moment he enters the garden, accom- 
panied by Judas Iscariot and a lieutenant, or under 
officer, and attended by a number of men in uni- 
form and armour, soldiers of the temple guard 
with swords and spears, and a body of constables 
or civil officers, together with servants in the 
chief priests' retinue bearing staves and wands 
of office. A few stragglers follow after, among 
them a young man evidently just aroused from 
sleep, for he is naked save for a linen garment 
hurriedly cast about his loins. As they pass 
through the narrow gate the escort, at a signal 
from the officers, opens and Ms the space near- 
est the wall. The men composing it are so many 
that they extend about the clearing in a circle; 
THE MAN and His disciples within and to one 
side. Near them stand the captain of the Temple 
Guard, the lieutenant, a chief servant of the High 
Priest, Judas Iscariot and THE MAN. 



26 Gethsemane and After. 

Jesus, motioning back the eleven, steps for- 
ward. As the soldiers and servants take their 
places, Peter, John, James and Thomas press 
closer to Him than the others as if they would 
follow Him at all hazards. Not waiting to be 
interrogated He speaks. 

Jesus 
Whom seek ye? 

The Temple Captain 
{curtly) 

Jesus of Nazareth. 

Jesus 

I am He. 

Such is the nobleness of His aspect and the 
majesty of His bearing as He steps nearer to the 
soldiery, widening the distance between Himself 
and Peter, the nearest of the eleven, that they in- 
stinctively recoil before the light that seems to 
radiate from His person. Some of them , give 
backward and fall to the ground. He stops and 
again addresses them. The Temple Captain 
nearest to Him gazes at Him in surprise. Judas 
stares in sickly astonishment as he notes the effect 
of His approach upon his companions. The 
Iscariot struggles against the thrill of horror and 



Gethsemane and After. 27 

terror that pervades his soul and shakes his body 
like unto a man with the palsy. Seeing the con- 
dition of His enemies, THE MAN repeats His 
question. 

Jesus 

Whom seek ye ? 

Voices 
(from the crowd, which, seeing itself confront- 
ed only by a mild-voiced, unarmed man of 
peaceful bearing, attended by a terror-palsied 
little handful of poor men evidently fearful to 
the verge of panic, regains its composure to a 
degree at least) 

Jesus of Nazareth. 

Jesus 

I have told you that I am He. 

The Temple Captain 
'(turning to Judas and with cutting contempt in 
his voice and bearing) 

Man of Kerioth, is this true? 

Judas 
(in a broken, stammering voice, fawning upon 
Jesus) 

Rabbi! 

He approaches nearer to THE MAN as he 



28 Gethsemane and After. 

speaks and then stops hesitant, afraid, appalled. 

Jesus 
Friend, that thou doest do quickly. 

Judas 
(desperately) 
Hail, Master ! 

By a violent effort, assuming an exaggerated 
air of respect, he steps close to THE MAN and 
kisses Him. 

Jesus 
Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a 
kiss ? 

Judas 
(hoarsely, constraining himself to speak to the 
Temple Captain) 
This is He : take Him and lead Him away safe- 

iy. 

The Temple Captain 
(quickly) 
Seize the Nazarene. 

Two or three of the soldiers advance to lay 
hands on Jesus. The disciples nearest THE 
MAN step forward. 



Gethsemane and After. 29 

Peter and Thomas 
(who alone bear arms) 
Lord, shall we smite with the sword? 

Jesus 
Put up again thy sword into his place 



But even as He speaks, Peter who has moved 
more quickly than Thomas and has already whip- 
ped his sword from its sheath, strikes recklessly 
and furiously with all the force of his powerful 
arm at the nearest enemy, who happens to be a 
man named Malchus, a servant of the High 
Priest. The man, taken by surprise, makes an in- 
effectual effort to ward off the blow. His staff 
is beaten aside and the sharp blade falls upon the 
side of his face nearly severing the ear from his 
head. He shrieks with pain. There is a roar of 
rage from the men. Swords flash in the light. 
The Temple Captain springs forward with bared 
blade between THE MAN and the Temple 
Guard. Peter stands aghast and trembling, star- 
ing at his bloody sword, his sudden passion hav- 
ing spent itself. 

Jesus 

All they that take the sword shall perish with 
the sword. (To Peter He says reprovingly) 



30 Gethsemane and After. 

Thinkest thou that I can not now pray to My 
Father and He shall even now give Me more 
than twelve legions of angels. 

The Temple Captain 
(impatiently) 
Seize Him. 

Jesus 
(turning toward the wounded man now being 
succoured by his companions) 
Suffer ye thus far. 

He touches the servant's ear with His finger 
and heals him of his hurt. 

Malchus 
(in grateful amazement at the sudden relief) 
Rabbi, I thank Thee. 

The Temple Captain 
(peremptorily) 
We waste words. Bind Him and let us go 
hence. 

Judas 
(to fill the measure of his infamy, pointing to the 
other Galileans) 
And what of these, most noble Captain? 



Gethsemane and After. 31 

The Temple Captain 
(indifferently) 
Take them all and let us make an end to the 
business. 

The soldiers advance at command. The dis- 
ciples shrink back. Two men lay hands on THE 
MAN entirely unresisting. He speaks loudly 
and quickly to attract attention to Himself and 
give His disciples time to escape. 

Jesus 
(questioning the men who hold Him) 
Are ye come out as against a thief with 
swords and staves for to take Me? (The men 
binding His hands handle Him roughly with 
mockery while He protests) I sat daily with you 
teaching in the temple and ye laid no hold on Me ! 
The Temple Captain laughs harshly and mo- 
tions to his men to proceed. 

Jesus 
(looking at him fixedly and still offering no re- 
sistance) 

This is your hour, and the power of darkness. 

At this moment the eleven as if possessed by 
a sudden impulse of panic turn and plunge into 
the darkness beneath the trees. They can be 



32 Gethsemane and After. 

heard running and crashing through the vines 
and undergrowth and leaping over the wall in 
the background. Some of the soldiers and the 
lieutenant follow them for a little space. 

Malchus 
{loudly interrupting) 
The others fly. 

Judas 
{urgently to the Captain) 
They will escape. 

Jesus 
{eager to save His followers) 
If, therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way. 

The Temple Captain 
{to his men) 

Let them go. We have here all that we need. 
{Turning to Judas) Thou hast done thy work, 
and earned thy money well. 

Judas quails before his undisguised sneer and 
turns to confront Jesus who looks at him in deep 
commiseration. For a moment Judas boldly 
strives to sustain that glance. He fails utterly. 
His own vision is beaten down by the steady, 
heart searching, pitying glance of his Master 
and Lord. He shudders, hides his face in his 



Gethsemane and After. 33 

hands, turns away reeling and disappears in the 

night 

Malchus 
(to the Captain) 
Shall we follow him? 

The Temple Captain 
(sardonically) 
Let him go with his treacheries. We are well 
rid of him. 

Jesus 
All this is come to pass that the Scriptures of 
the prophets might be fulfilled. 

The Lieutenant 
(returning) 
We can find none of them but this youth. 
He drags a certain young man into the center 
of the group. 

Jesus 
(praying) 
Father, I thank Thee that of them which Thou 
gavest Me have I lost none. 

The Temple Captain 
(to the young prisoner) 
Who art thou? 



34 Gethsemane and After. 

The Youth 
(disregarding the officer and turning to THE 
MAN and stretching out his hands) 

Master. 

Jesus looks kindly upon him and then with a 
sudden movement the youth wrenches himself 
free and amid loud laughter leaps away naked in 
the darkness leaving his linen garment in the 
hands of his captors. 

Jesus 
(while the soldiers lash together his hands be- 
hind him) 

I have trodden the wine press alone, and of 
the people there was none with Me 

Malchus 
(interrupting) 
What sayest thou, Nazarene? 

Jesus 
(continuing) 
The cup which My Father hath given Me shall 
I not drink it? 

The Temple Captain 
(to the soldiers) 
Is He bound? 



Gethsemane and After. 35 

A Soldier 
(saluting) 
Safely lashed, sir. 

The Temple Captain 
(pointing with his weapon) 
Forward then. 

The Lieutenant 
(stepping to the head of the column which is 
rapidly forming) 
Whither, sir? 

The Temple Captain 
(sheathing his sword) 
Take Him to Annas. 

They start forward, Jesus in the midst of them, 
and pour through the gate upon the road. 

Malchus 
(with half contemptuous pity) 
Thou shalt drink to the dregs the cup of trem- 
bling, the cup of the Lord's fury before Thou art 
through with the High Priest, O Nazarene! 

Jesus 
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be 
of good cheer ; I have overcome the world. 
Malchus laughs with incredulous mockery. 



36 Gethsemane and After. 

The men, led by their officers, march down the 
road with their prisoner, talking and laughing 
over the events of the night. The sounds die 
away, the lights disappear. The silence comes 
again. Out of the darkness creeps stealthily a 
crouching -figure. He peers fearfully about him 
and listens furtively. Seeing no one, at last he 
rises and slips cautiously out into the moonlight. 
Then he kneels down on the ground and lifting 
his hands to heaven wrestles and writhes in an 
agony of voiceless prayer and abiding shame. 

A sound, a breaking twig, startles him. He 
rises, shrinks back and gathering his garments 
about him, as if for instant flight, looks fixedly 
in deep anxiety under the trees. Presently he 
speaks. 

Peter 
(softly and in the trembling voice of fear) 
Who cometh? 

John 
(entering the clearing) 
It is I. 

Peter 
(eagerly grasping him by the shoulder) 
The Master? 



Gethsemane and After. 37 

John 

(answering) 
He is numbered with the transgressors . . . 

Peter 

(taking the words of the other disciple's mouth) 

The chastisement of our peace is upon Him. 

John 

(wringing his hands) 
All have forsaken Him and fled. 

Peter 
(gloomily) 
The shepherd is smitten, the sheep are scat- 
tered abroad. 

John 
(bowed down with sorrow) 
Ay, said He not so last night in the upper 
chamber ? 

Peter 
(with sudden resolution) 
Let us go after Him that we may die with 
Him. 

The two men clasp hands, stare at each other 



38 Gethsemane and After. 

a moment and then, as if moved by a common im- 
pulse, turn together, plunge through the gate 
and run down the road over which the Master 
had walked. The garden is left alone and silent. 



Part II. 
THE TRIAL BEFORE THE JEWS 



I. 

Peter at the Wicket Gate 

Scene: An open courtyard enclosed on three 
sides by low houses of stone. On the right is 
the dwelling place of Annas; on the left that of 
his son j Caiaphas, the High Priest. At the back 
connecting the two are offices and quarters for 
the extensive retinue, personal and official, of the 
two households. A wall separates the courtyard 
from the street in front. The main entrance gate 
is open and guarded. To the left there is a guard 
room filled with armed retainers and to the right a 
similar room with access to the street and to the 
courtyard through smaller doors. The court, 
which is paved zvith stone, is filled with a noisy 
and restless crowd of armed guards, servants, re- 
tainers, and men and women of Jesusalem, gener- 
ally of the baser sort. Messengers come and go. 
The place is full of excitement. But a short 
time has elapsed since the events in the Garden. 
It is still dark. The night air is damp. The 
overcast sky gives promise of rain. At intervals 



42 Gethsemane and After. 

the moonlight breaks fitfully through the driving 
clouds. Groups of people crowd around braziers 
filled with live coals, placed in the center of the 
court. Torches and hanging lamps throw a 
lurid light over the scene. The noise of many 
voices talking, laughing, questioning, arguing, 
•Ulls the air. At a wicket gate to the right a man 
stands entreating entrance. His persistence 
awakens suspicion in the mind of the maid who 
acts as portress, and she denies him. 

The Maid 
(impatiently) 
Why seek ye to enter here? This is a private 
gate. 

Peter 
(avoiding the question) 
I would fain see this Jesus of Galilee. 

The Maid 
(suspiciously) 
Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? 

Peter 
(with an affectation of indifference) 
I am not. 



Gethsemane and After. 43 

The Maid 
(still unsatisfied) 
Why then . . . 

She is interrupted by the approach of John 
from within the courtyard. 

John 
I pray thee (he lays his hand on her arm) that 
thou wilt let this man pass. 

The Maid 
(turning and scrutinizing the new-comer) 
And wherefore? 

John 
He is my friend. 

The Maid 
And who art thou ? 

John 
(looking about him in some anxiety) 
The son of Zebedee 

The Maid 
The fishmonger? 

John 
(smiling) 
Of a truth, often have I brought fish to the 
High Priest. 



44 Gethsemane and After. 

The Maid 
(her doubts resolved) 
I know thee. (To Peter) Enter then. 
She unlocks the wicket. Peter passes through 
the gate and crosses the room to the Court, when 
John turns to him. 

John 
I outran thee. 

Peter 
Thou hast advantage in thy youth. 

John 
But when I missed thee, I sought thee at the 
gate. 

Peter 

(dismissing the matter) 

Where have they taken Him? 

John 

(pointing to the left) 

To Annas. 

He turns from Peter and ascends the steps of 
the portico and peers in through the door. Peter 
starts to follow, but stops, turns back and ap- 
proaches one of the groups around the fire. As 
he stands warming his hands, from some far-off 
hillside can be heard the faint crowing of a cock, 
which apparently at that time Peter does not no- 
tice. 



II 

Questioned by Annas 

Scene: Within the house to the right. Two 
men of imposing presence and dignity seated. 
The great age of one and the respectful deference 
in the manner of the other indicate that they 
are closely related. Annas, who had been High 
priest, and who had been deprived of his office 
by Roman interference, is the elder; the younger 
man, already in the prime of life, of majestic 
and authoritative appearance, is his son-in-law, 
Caiaphas, who occupies the position and performs 
the duties of High Priest, although, in the opinion 
of the orthodox Jew, he is scarcely more than a 
titular high priest; the dignities, honors and pre- 
rogatives being still vested in Annas. Before 
them, with His hands still bound, stands THE 
MAN. By His side stand the Temple Captain 
who had brought Him thither, Malchus and one 
or two others of the household. Two men guard 
the prisoner, holding the ends of the lashings in 
their hands. Annas has been plying Jesus with 
questions. He has vainly endeavored to ascertain 
who His disciples are, what is the secret of the 
strange doctrine He has preached, why He had 



46 Gethsemane and After. 

allowed Himself to be proclaimed King of the 
Jews and what were His purposes in life, the 
mainsprings of His actions. 

Annas 
(testily, to the attendants) 
Is this a speechless man ye have brought be- 
fore me? 

Caiaphas 
(ironically) 
As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He 
openeth not His mouth. 

Annas 
(trying once again) 
Nazarene ! 
Jesus lifts His head and looks him in the face. 

Annas 
(with all the authority of his age and station 
striving to impress the prisoner) 

It hath come to me that on the Sabbath day 
on the Mount of Olives the rude Galileans in 
Thy following hailed Thee as King of Israel. 
Who were they that cried Hosanna? 

Jesus slightly shakes His head, but answers 
nothing. 



Gethsemane and After. 47 

Caiaphas 
(angrily) 
He answereth not. 

He half rises to his feet. Annas motions him 
to his seat. 

Annas 
(to Caiaphas) 
Yet once again will I try. 
Annas 
(to Jesus) 
I perceive that for a long time Thou hast 
troubled Israel with strange doctrines. What is 
it Thou dost teach ? 

Jesus 

(calmly) 

I spake openly to the world; I ever taught 

in the synagogue and in the temple, whither the 

Jews always resort . . . 

Annas 

But what is the secret purpose of Thy life? 

Jesus 
And in secret have I said nothing. 
Annas 
(impatiently) 
What is it that Thou hast taught then that they 
call Thee King of Israel? 



48 Gethsemane and After. 

Jesus 

Why askest thou Me? Ask them which heard 
Me, what I have said unto them: behold they 
know what I said. 

Annas stamps his foot and gnashes his teeth 
with rage at being thus braved. The Temple 
Captain, quick to see his lord's anger and ready 
to take his cue therefrom, steps close to Jesus 
and strikes Him violently on the face with his 
open hand. The blood flames into the pale 
cheek of the Master. As He reels from the 
heavy blow, the guards roughly jerk Him into an 
erect position again by the lashings which they 
hold, and the cruel cords cut into His wrists. 
THE MAN lifts His eyes, closes them a moment 
in prayer and then turns to His cowardly assail- 
ant. 

Jesus 
(mildly to the Temple Captain) 
If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil ; 
but if well, why smitest thou Me? 

Annas 
(rising) 
We will have Him before the Sanhedrin. 



Gethsemane and After. 49 

Caiaphas 
(also rising) 
Yea. (to Malchus) Summon the other mem- 
bers of the council to meet. 

Malchus 
At what hour, Master? 

Caiaphas 
Immediately, (to the Temple Captain) Take 
the Nazarene to the place of meeting in my house 
across the court. 

The Temple Captain 
(to the guards) 
This way. 

As they approach the open door giving upon 
the porch, voices are heard without. 

A Servant 
Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee ? 

Peter 
Woman, I know not what thou sayest. 
THE MAN stops, listens. The guards thrust 
Him forward. He steps out on the portico into 
the light. 

The Temple Captain 
Way for the Nazarene! 



50 Gethsemane and After. 

Voices 
(from those on the portico) 
Lo! He comes. 

A Great Roar from the Crowd 

The King of the Jews! 

Peter, unable to meet THE MAN whom he 
had just denied, forces his way roughly through 
the crowd toward the entrance gate, where he 
stands with his back turned to the courtyard. In 
the thick of the multitude which throngs the court 
THE MAN passes John, who is white-faced and 
silent, biting his lips to control his emotion. Jesus 
and His beloved disciple exchange one glance 
and are severed. Above the tumult the shrill 
clarion of a cock heralding the approaching dawn 
is heard from some neighboring garden. THE 
MAN, with His escort, climbs the steps of the 
portico, passes through the colonnade and enters 
the building on the left, followed by a large num- 
ber of the people in the courtyard, including 
John. 



Ill 

The Trial Before Caiaphas 

Scene: The council chamber in the house of 
Caiaphas. The High Priest sits on a dais. Sur- 
rounding him in a semi-circle are some thirty 
venerable and dignified men all seated. Dividing 
the room is a low stone parapet, with an opening 
in the middle marked by two stone columns 
which rise to the roof, emphasising the passage- 
way into the place reserved for the members of 
the court. Tall candelabra and swinging oil 
lamps illuminate the whole scene. THE MAN 
still guarded as before, stands in the opening 
between the columns. The space without the 
parapet is completely filled with a noisy mul- 
titude. Close against the stone railing, but 
in the corner of the room, stands John. Far back 
from the parapet on a bench, looking over the 
crowd, but hidden from observation by the ob- 
scurity of the corner, is Judas Iscariot. 

The room is filled with noise and confusion. It 
is as unlike a solemn and orderly court of justice 
as it is possible to conceive. The officers of the 
court have repeatedly cried for silence, but in 
vain. The faces of the Sanhedrists express 



52 Gethsemane and After. 

various emotions. A few are apparently awed 
by the passionate outbursts of the mob; one or 
two survey the prisoner with expressions of min- 
gled doubt and pity; but the majority look about 
them with an air of haughty disdain. The hot 
tempered Caiaphas, in particular, looks from the 
prisoner to the crowd with fiery and passionate 
indignation. By his side old Annas nods. At 
the ends of the semi-circle of the councillors the 
scribes, who act as recorders of the court, glance 
nervously about them, with their pens idle. They 
are the nearest to the parapet which alone re- 
strains the people. Finally the High Priest him- 
self rises, convinced that no less authority than 
his own will avail to still the tumult. 

Caiaphas 

{lifting his hand) 

Silence ! 

{But little attention is paid to him at first and 
he repeats his command in a voice of thunder) 

Silence ! Let us have peace, or I will clear the 
room. Malchus, call the Captain of the Guard. 

Summoned by Malchus, the Temple Captain, 
followed by a squad of men, enters through a 
doorway from the guard room on their right side, 



Gethsemane and After. 53 

At a sign from Caiaphas, he takes position to the 
right and rear of the councillors. The noise has 
gradually subsided. During this entrance Caia- 
phas resumes his seat. As he does so, one of the 
councillors rises and interrogates the court. 

Nicodemus 
{deferentially) 
Are we summoned to try this Nazarene? 

Caiaphas 
Thou sayest. 

Nicodemus 
{with an effort) 
It is not lawful to meet for such a purpose, 
save in the open day, and . . . 

Caiaphas 
{leaning forward and interrupting) 
Art thou also a Galilean? 
Nicodemus hesitates and looks about him. 

Caiaphas 
{fiercely striking the arm of the bench) 
Answer ! 

Nicodemus passes his hand over his face, moist- 
ens his lips, looks fearfully around him at the 
mocking faces of his compeers and sinks to his 



54 Gethsemane and After. 

seat. Caiaphas* lip curls contemptuously and the 
people burst into a noisy gust of derisive laughter, 
which he permits to sweep through the hall un- 
checked for a moment. 

Caiaphas 
(to the Sanhedrists) 
We are not here to determine the regularity of 
this assemblage but to try this man for blasphemy 
and sedition. 

Another member of the court rises in his place 
and challenges the attention of the high priest. 

Joseph of Arimathaea 

(protestingly) 

Who brings the charge against the prisoner ? 

Caiaphas (defiantly) 
I do. 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
(protestingly) 
But thou art the judge. 

Caiaphas 
(imperiously) 
The charge is brought. 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
(firmly but with deference turning to the others) 
Brethren . . . 



Gethsemane and After. 55 

Caiaphas 
(in a flame of passion at being thus braved) 
Do you, too, follow the Man of Galilee? 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
(proudly) 
I am of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of 
Judah, an Hebrew of the Hebrews. I serve 
the God of my fathers. 

Caiaphas 
(peremptorily) 
That is well said. Sit ye down and do your of- 
fice. I take the responsibility. 

Annas 
(with complacent approval) 
Thou art mine own son. 

Voices 
(from the crowd) 
A trial ! Judgment ! 

Caiaphas 
(pointing to the prisoner) 
This man is accused of sedition in that He in- 
citeth the people to tumults, riotings and disturb- 
ances of the peace of Jerusalem. 



56 Gethsemane and After. 

A murmur arises from the crowd, which Caia- 
phas immediately subdues. He continues : 

Caiaphas 
(pausing a moment to emphasise what follows) 
And He blasphemes the God of our Fathers, 
the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in 
that He announces Himself the Messiah. 
. A roar of jeering execrations bursts from the 
assemblage. When it is partially quieted Joseph 
of Arimathaea rises. 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
(speaking to the councillors) 
Where are the witnesses? 

Caiaphas 
(angrily turning toward the people) 
The witnesses. 

A number of men crowded against the rail 
raise their hands. 

Caiaphas 
(pointing) 
There, (he turns to the scribes) Question ye 
the witnesses and take down their answers. 

Instantly a scene of confusion ensues. The 
witnesses bring all sorts of impossible and absurd 
charges against THE MAN. 



Gethsemane and After. 57 

Witnesses 

He worketh on the Sabbath Day. 

He mingles with the lepers. 

He will destroy the Temple. 

Blasphemer. 

He mocketh at the rulers of Israel. 

He hath fellowship with publicans. 

He violateth the Law of Moses. 

Seditionary. 

He is a wine bibber and a glutton. 

With him are harlots. 

He giveth tribute to Caesar. 

He will build a new temple in three days. 

Without hands, ay, without hands! 

Is He a God to do this? 

The witnesses all talk at once, contradict one 
another and in no way agree. When quiet is at 
last restored, the scribes who have made hasty 
notes of what has been said, are instructed to read 
the testimony, which is so absurd and inconsistent 
as to provoke the laughter even of the crowd. 

Nicodemus 
(speaking quickly) 
Is it on testimony like this ye would convict 
a man? Behold, not one agreeth with another. 



58 Gethsemane and After. 

Joseph of Arimathaea nods his head in acquies- 
cence. 

The First Scribe 
{rising deferentially) 
With permission of the brethren here are two 
in accord. This man (he points to the one near- 
est him) declareth that he heard this fellow say: 
I am able to destroy the temple of God and to 
build it in three days. 

The Witness 
(speaking quickly) 
Ay, those were His very words. 
The other scribe rises in response to a motion 
from Caiaphas. 

The Second Scribe 
(corroborating his fellow) 
And I have here record of one who says the 
same. 

Caiaphas 
(anxiously) 
What is his testimony? 

The Scribe 
(reading) 
He declareth that he heard the Nazarene say : 
I will destroy this temple that is made with 



Gethsemane and After. 59 

hands, and within three days I will build another 
made without hands. 

Caiaphas 
(triumphantly, to Joseph and Nicodemus) 
Art satisfied now ? 

Annas 
(sententiously nodding) 
At the mouth of two witnesses shall the matter 
be established. 

Caiaphas 
(now addressing THE MAN who has stood 
absolutely unmoved during the whole of the wild 
excitement of the riotous and disorderly pro- 
ceeding) 

Thou hearest that with which Thou art 
charged. Answerest Thou nothing? 

Voices 
(from the crowd) 
Yea, let Him speak ! Let Him speak ! 

Caiaphas 

(persistently) 
What is it which these witness against Thee? 
Voices 

(as before) 
Come ! Declare ! Declare ! 



60 Gethsemane and After. 

Caiaphas 

{severely) 
Thou wouldst destroy the temple made with 
hands ; that is sedition : and build it again in three 
days without hands; that is blasphemy. Art 
Thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 

Jesus 
{speaking at last) 
Thou hast said. 

Caiaphas 
{interrupting) 
I adjure Thee by the living God that Thou tell 
us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God ? 

Jesus 

I am. 

Once more the crowd bursts into tumult, while 
Caiaphas stands as one petrified with astonish- 
ment and horror. The members of the court tak- 
ing their cue from the head of it stare at THE 
MAN in terrified amazement, 

Jesus 
{raising His voice until the clamor and the 
shouting die in the curiosity to hear what He 
would say) 

Nevertheless, I say unto you, hereafter shall ye 



Gethsemane and After. 61 

see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of 
power and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

Caiaphas springs to his feet. He catches the 
priestly robe he wears about the neck. With one 
sweep of his powerful arms, he tears it from 
seam to seam and throws it aside. 

Caiaphas 
{crying with all the power of his voice) 
He hath spoken blasphemy. 

Voices 
{from the crowd) 
Ay, ay, blasphemy! 

Caiaphas 
{continuing) 
What further need have we of witnesses? {He 
turns to the elders) Behold, now, ye have heard 
His blasphemy; what think ye? 

There is a moment's silence. The high thin 
voice of the oldest man on the bench breaks it. 

Annas 
{in shrill triumph) 
Death. 



62 Gethsemane and After. 

The Members of the Sanhedrin 
{rapidly, in great confusion, one after another, 
with the exception of Nicodemus and Joseph of 
Arimathaea, whose protests are howled down and 
unheeded. ) 

Death! He is guilty of death! 

Caiaphas 
(in sneering triumph) 

It is expedient for us that one man should die 
for the people, (to the Temple Captain) Take 
Him away; keep Him in ward until the morn- 
ing. Brethren, we will meet at break of day to 
consider further what is to be done. 

The session is adjourned. The members rise 
and cluster about Caiaphas. Nicodemus and Jos- 
eph of Arimathaea are avoided by the others and 
stand alone, away from the rest) 



IV. 

The Sifting of Peter 



The Temple Captain 

Way for the convicted. 

His men clear a passage through the crowd 
which has now become a ravening mob eager to 
get at the prisoner. 

The Temple Captain 
(roughly) 

Make way. Fall back. Ye shall have sport 
enough in the guard room presently. Back, I 
say. Free passage. 

Gradually he forces his way through the hall 
and into the portico. Faint streaks of dawn lace 
the East. The glow of the Hres pales under the 
light of breaking day. The greater multitude 
outside which has not been able to get into the 
smaller place of the trial, surges toward the por- 
tico as the people pour out of the narrow en- 
trances, THE MAN led by the Temple Captain 
arid surrounded by the guards in the middle. The 
prisoner and His escort pause at the top of the 
steps leading doivn to the court. 



64 Gethsemane and After. 

Voices 
(from the courtyard) 
What of the trial? 

Voices 
(from the portico) 
He is guilty of blasphemy and condemned to 
death. 

Voices 
(from the courtyard) 

Where are the Galileans who cried, Hosanna, 
now? 

A kinsman of Malchus who had been with him 
in the garden, coming out with the rest catches 
sight of Peter standing before one of the braziers 
immediately in front of THE MAN. He leaps 
down the low flight of steps and lays his hand 
upon Peter. 

The Kinsman of Malchus 
(loudly) 
Of a truth this man also was with Him. 
The crowd surges tozvard the disciple yelling 
and gnashing upon him with their teeth. Hands 
are uplifted to strike him where he stands un- 
guarded. 



Gethsemane and After. 65 

Peter 
(frightened) 
No, No. 

The Kinsman of Malchus 
(persisting) 
Thou art a Galilean. 

Peter 
(more and more terrified at the violent dem- 
onstrations of the mob which is only prevented 
from seising him by its many members) 
No, I am not. I am not, I swear. 

A By-stander 
(roaring out) 
Thy speech betrayeth thee. 

Peter 
(desperately) 
Man, I know not, neither understand I what 
thou sayest. 

A Woman 

(her shrill voice rising above the deeper noise) 

This man was with Jesus, the Nazarene. 

Peter 
(his hands and face working convulsively as he 
swears and protests) 



66 Gethsemane and After. 

I know not the man, I tell thee, I know not 
the man. 

The Temple Captain 

(who has been an uninterested spectator of the 
colloquy, and has delayed his march long 
enough for such a trifle) 

Forward. 

Jesus descends. He passes Peter and looks 
upon Him. From the roof of an outbuilding 
again the loud crowing of a cock is heard. Peter 
stares for a moment. His glance falls. His hand 
clutches his breast as if to quench the fire of re- 
morse that suddenly flames in his heart. No 
more than Judas can the denier sustain that gen- 
tle, sorrowful, pitying, all merciful glance. He 
turns away blindly, forces himself through the 
crowd, which is now interested in the near ap- 
proach of THE MAN, and disappears without 
the gate. As he plunges down the dark street, 
a little band of women and one or two men meet 
him. 

A Voice 
(in the darkness) 
It is Peter. 



Gethsemane and After. 67 

Peter 
(hoarsely) 
Who art thou? 

The Voice 
(gently) 
Mary of Magdala. Simon, what of the Mas- 
ter? 

Peter 
(in bitter self reproach) 
Judas hath betrayed Him and I have denied 
Him — thrice ! 

Mary of Magdala 
(in grieved amazement) 
Where are the rest of His Disciples? 

Peter 
(answering) 
John is within. All the others have forsaken 
Him and fled, but you, blessed among women. 

Another Voice 
(out of the darkness) 
What have they done with our Lord? 

Peter 
(slowly) 
They have condemned Him to death. 



68 Gethsemane and After. 

A woman* s scream is heard. Peter starts and 
peers at the little band. 

Mary, the Wife of Cleopas 
(softly) 
It is His mother. 

Mary, the Mother of Jesus 
(lamenting) 
The sword! The sword! That shall pierce 
mine own soul. They told me of it in the begin- 
ning. 

Peter buries his face in his hands and bursts 
into tears. 

Mary of Magdala 
(gently, laying her hand on his shoulder) 
He forgave me ; He will forgive thee. 

Peter 
(shaking his head) 
I can not forgive myself. 
He disengages her hand and disappears stag- 
gering down the street. The women creep fear- 
fully, closer to the zvall. From within, the noise 
of hideous outbursts of bitter mockery is heard. 
Oaths, curses, protestations, jeers, mingle with 
the sound of blows upon quivering flesh. 



Gethsemane and After. 69 

Voices 
(within) 

Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that 
smote Thee? 

Pandemonium itself is let loose. Within the 
guard room, whose windows give upon the street, 
the horror-struck, heart-broken women see THE 
MAN, blindfolded, tied to a pillar, beaten, buf- 
feted, spat upon, stricken, the sport and play of 
the ribald guard and the lawless mob. 

The day breaks, the streets fill with people 
clamoring for admittance at the gates. The little 
group of women is rudely displaced from the 
windows and driven to the outskirts of the eager 
crowd which is pressing forward to participate 
in the terrible baiting, or at least to see what is 
going on. 



The Son of Perdition 

The council room empties itself of the specta- 
tors; the last to leave it is John. He passes by 
the remaining person without the parapet, Judas 
Iscariot. He is completely in Judas Iscariot's 
power. He knows that the Betrayer has but to say 
the word and he too will be apprehended, but a 
new courage has come to John. He draws his 
garment closer to him as if to avoid the contam- 
ination of a possible touch, looks the traitor 
straight in the face with bitter disdain and con- 
tempt utterly unlike the glance of Jesus at Peter 
— and passes out. The High Priest and his fol- 
lowing now prepare to leave. 

Caiaphas 

Brethren, I thank you for the worthy manner 
in which the most of you {he emphasizes the quali- 
fying phrase with a fierce look at Joseph and 
Nicodemus who stand nearest the door separated 
from the others) have performed your high and 
holy office. We meet again at daybreak. Tis 
but a short time. Good night. 

Judas Iscariot slowly slinks forward through 



Gethsemane and After. 71 

the open gate where his Master had stood and 
stops before the dais. He sways like a drunken 
man. His eyes are bloodshot; his face is pale; 
his hands pluck nervously at his ragged beard; 
sweat bedews his brow beneath his dishevelled 
hair. 

Judas 
(in a shrill, racked voice) 
Wait. 

Annas 
(sneeringly) 
Lo, the betrayer. 

The others turn and group about him, Caiaphas 
in the center. Judas extends a trembling hand 
filled with pieces of money. 

Judas 
(falteringly) 
Take back that thou gavest me. 

Caiaphas 
(with cold scorn) 
And wherefore? 

Judas 
(gathering strength) 
I have sinned in that I have betrayed the in- 
nocent blood. 



72 Gethsemane and After. 

Caiaphas 
(indifferently, looking around to the other mem- 
bers who nod their heads in confirmation as he 
speaks) 

What is that to us? 

Judas raises his hand and Caiaphas silences 
him with a threatening gesture. 

Caiaphas 
(meaningly) 

See thou to that. (Judas again iries to speak. 
Caiaphas silences him with an imperious com- 
mand. ) Out of the way. 

Judas stares from one face to another, meeting 
nothing but hatred, avoidance and bitter disdain. 
He covers his face with his hands for a moment 
and then lifting the money high in the air, he 
throws it at the feet of the high priest, and as 
the thirty pieces ring and roll upon the stone 
he staggers out of the room. 

Caiaphas 

(frowning at the traitor's presumption, to a 
scribe) 

Gather them up. 



Gethsemane and After. 73 

As they are handed to him, he turns to the 
others. 

Caiaphas 
(hesitating) 
What shall be done with them? 

Annas 
(a great stickler for the proprieties) 
It is not lawful for to put them into the treas- 
ury because they are the price of blood. 

Caiaphas 

(handing it to Malchus) 
Take them. Go thou and buy with them the 
potter's field. We will use it as a burying place 
for strangers. 

Annas 
(smiling grimly) 
Thou hast well said. And that field shall be 
called Aceldama, the field of blood. 

After leaving the room Judas steps out on the 
porch. The noise of those mocking Christ in the 
guard room is easily heard and the sound cuts 
him to the heart, He stands uncertainly at the 
edge of the porch a moment. Someone catches 
sight of him, the guard room being all too small 



74 Gethsemane and After. 

to contain those who would fain participate in 
the cruel revelry. A bystander springs up be- 
side him, peers into his face, steps back and points 
with his hand. 

The Bystander. 
(in noisy contempt) 

Lo, the betrayer. 

Judas stumbles down the steps. Upon a nearer 
view of his convulsed and working countenance, 
foam-flecked lips and awful eyes, the crozvd parts 
to give him passage. In silence, save for the 
tumult which rises in the guard room in terrible 
dissonance and continues unintermittedly over 
everything, he plunges through the gate and 
through the crowd outside, unseeing, unknow- 
ing. His garments brush by a little group of 
women. Mary of Magdala throws her cloak 
over the face of the mother of Christ. 

Mary of Magdala 
(whispering to the others) 
Tis Judas Iscariot. 

Judas reels through the streets until he reaches 
the nearest gate in the city wall. Outside beyond 
tht rocky road the slope of the mountain falls 
abruptly into the narrow ravine of the brook of 



Gethsemane and After. 75 

Kidron. From one of the crevices in the rock a 
low, spreading tree with purple blossoms and 
dark green leaves, springs far out over the 
gulf. Judas methodically tests the strength 
of the tree, hastily unwinds his cincture, 
carefully knots it about the overhanging limb, 
makes a slip noose of the other end, clasps 
it about his neck and swings off over the black 
abyss. With superhuman resolution he keeps 
his hands down by his side. Presently, motion 
ceases and he hangs a dead weight upon the little 
tree which bends under the heavy downward pull 
of his inert, lifeless body. 

The sky is suddenly overcast, a flash of light- 
ning tears athwart the heavens, a clap of thunder 
rolls among the mountains. A man staggers up 
the road. Another flash, just as he reaches the 
tree, illumines again the face of the ghastly, 
swinging, lifeless -figure. 

Peter 
{starting back) 
Tis Judas, the betrayer, and I, the denier. 
{Throwing himself upon the rocks, he buries his 
face in his hands.) O, my God, my God, have 
mercy on me! 



76 Gethsemane and After. 

The wind rises, the body of the betrayer sways 
to and fro by the side of the denier — the denier 
repentant. The rain beats upon the dead and the 
living, the just and the unjust. But the sudden 
storm dies as quickly as it came. Peter rises to 
his feet and looks about him. Half of the tree 
has gone. No body swings in the wind. It is 
lighter now. He creeps fearfully to the edge of 
the cliff and peers over. Below he sees dimly a 
huddled heap, dark in the ravine. The son of 
perdition has gone to his account. 



Part III 
THE PRAETORIUM 



The Accusation 

Scene: The Forum or public square, before 
the royal house of Herod, now used as the resi- 
dence of the Roman Procurator of Judea. Jut- 
ting out from the center of the palace fagade is 
a portico or platform beautifully paved and sur- 
rounded by marble columns. This pavement is 
elevated to the height of two or three steps above 
the street. Windows open upon the Forum and 
from the front of the palace a small stone bal- 
cony overlooks the portico and the open space 
beyond. Time: About six o'clock in the morn- 
ing. 

Enter from the street THE MAN bound and 
guarded by soldiers. He is pale, haggard, ex- 
hausted, and is led or dragged forward by a rope 
around His neck. Accompanying Him are Caia- 
phas, the High Priest, Annas, the venerable mem- 
bers of the Sanhedrin, other priests, Temple 
guards, Temple attendants and servants, Scribes, 
Pharisees, and a constantly growing number of 



80 Gethsemane and After. 

people of all sorts and conditions, including many 
women and not a few children. The chief priests 
and other ecclesiastics wear the full vestments 
of their sacred office. 

Since daybreak there has been a brief session 
of the Sanhedrin in the Temple, at which the 
guilt of THE MAN has been reaffirmed upon 
His own testimony and He has been condemned 
to death. Inasmuch as the Jews have no longer 
capital jurisdiction, Jesus must now be delivered 
to the Roman authorities in order that the death 
sentence may be carried out. 

By Caiaphas 3 direction the cortege comes to 
a stop before the raised portico and certain of 
the Temple servants mount the stairs and accost 
the Roman sentry on guard before the palace. 
By him they are admitted to the palace whence 
they presently return followed by the Roman Gov- 
ernor, Pontius Pilate. He advances to the edge 
of the portico, and frowning with ill-dissembled 
hatred and contempt, looks down upon the 
Forum, now rapidly filling with a vast 
multitude of restless and disorderly people. Mean- 
while, Annas, Caiaphas and others in authority, 
have mounted the steps to the pavement of the 
platform, and Jesus, with His immediate guard, 



Gethsemane and After. 81 

has been roughly forced to accompany them. As 
they catch sight of THE MAN clearly in view 
on the edge of the raised portico, a great roar 
rises from the Forum. 

The Multitude 
{yelling loudly) 
The Nazarene! 

Pilate looks curiously at THE MAN, imperi- 
ously waves the crowd into silence, then turns to 
the group on the portico. 

Pilate 
{with the bluff shortness of a soldier) 
What seek ye of me? 

Caiaphas 
(pointing to the bound figure of Jesus) 
Most noble Roman, the punishment of a man 
here that is criminal. 

Pilate 

(coolly surveying Jesus again and then compre- 
hending in his disdainful glance the High Priest 
and his attendants) 

What accusation bring ye against this Man? 

Caiaphas hesitates and then takes momentary 



82 Gethsemane and After. 

council with Annas and those nearest him. He is 
evidently reluctant to go into details and hopes 
to browbeat the Governor into compliance with 
their demands without unpleasant and inadequate 
explanations. 

Caiaphas 
(with a disdain that quite matches that of the 
Procurator) 

If this Man were not a malefactor, we would 
not have delivered Him up unto thee. 

Pilate 
(impatient of such evasion) 
What hath He done? 

Caiaphas 
(sullenly) 
We found Him perverting our nation. 

Pilate 
(smiling with cruel enjoyment at the High 
Priest's dilemma) 

If the offense be against your law, take Him 
yourselves and judge Him according to your 
law. 

Caiaphas looks back toward his supporters in 
further hesitation. 



Gethsemane and After. 83 

Annas 
(bitterly) 
We have no longer power of life and death, 
Oh, Roman! 

A Scribe 
(nodding his head) 
Ay, thou knowest. 

A Chief Priest 
(soothingly) 
It is not lawful for us to put any man to death, 
lord. 

Pilate 
(surprised) 
Is His crime a capital one, then? 

Caiaphas 
(with savage and bitter emphasis) 
Thou sayest. 

Pilate 
(with increasing interest) 
Declare it. 

Caiaphas 
(triumphantly) 
He forbade the people to give tribute unto 
Caesar. 



84 Gethsemane and After. 

Pilate 
(turning to Jesus) 
Ha! That is rebellion! What sayest Thou 
to that? 

Jesus answers him not a word. 

Caiaphas 
(venomously persistent) 
Nor is that all, Oh, Governor. 

Pilate 
(turning) 
What more, Oh, Priest? 

Caiaphas 

(emphatically) 

He saith that He Himself is Christ, a King ! 

Pilate 
(puzzled) 
A King! Whose King? 

Caiaphas 
(sneeringly, with a trace of mockery and laughter 
in his voice) 

Our King! , 

A Chief Priest 
(loudly, pointing his finger) 
The King of the Jews ! 



Gethsemane and After. 85 

The mob, which has been reasonably quiet, 
breaks into tumult. Shouts and noises mingled 
with gusts of uproarious laughter arise on every 
side. 

The People 

The King of the Jews! 

Hail! Hail! 

All Hail! The King! 

The King of the Jews. 

Pilate 
(signing for silence and turning to Jesus in won- 
derment not unmixed with contempt) 

Art Thou the King of the Jews? 

The High Priest and the members of Sanhed- 
rin wince under the Procurator's scornful words. 
The people point and jeer. 

Caiaphas 
(fiercely) 
He is a seditionary. 

Voices 
Rebel! 
Traitor ! 

A King! Ho, ho! 
The King of the Jews ! 



86 Gethsemane and After. 

Jesus of Nazareth! 
Hail! All hail! 

Annas 
(screaming to be heard) 
Blasphemer ! Accursed ! 

The People 
A King, King! 
Behold Him. piLAT£ 

(sternly) 

Silence! (He raises his voice tremendously 
until he is at last heard and obeyed.) Silence, 
ye rabble ! ( The tumult gradually subsides. The 
Procurator turns again to Jesus) . Hearest Thou 
not how many things they witness against Thee ? 
What sayest Thou ? 

Jesus still remains silent. 

Caiaphas 
(white and angry) 
Let Him be anathema. 



Voices 
Amen ! Amen ! 
Betrayer ! 
Liar! 

Blasphemer ! 
Rebel! 



Gethsemane and After. 87 

The Multitude 

King ! King ! 

The King of the Jews ! 

This time the merriment has mainly vanished 
and the mockery is harsh and terrible. The ex- 
citement is that of a bitter and unreasoning ha- 
tred. Through it all Jesus, although broken with 
the suffering of the long night, stands calmly 
unmoved, His face and manner expressing chief- 
ly pity for the ravening mob. 

Pilate 
(surprised at the power of the storm of passion 
so suddenly and inexplicably evoked, turns to 
THE MAN again and questions Him with great- 
er urgency than before) 
Answerest Thou nothing? 

Voices 
Seditionary ! 
Drunkard ! 
Destroyer ! 
Blasphemer ! 

The Multitude 
Hail! Hail! 
King of the Jews! 



88 Gethsemane and After. 

Pilate 
{amazed and somewhat alarmed at the passion 
of the people) 

Behold how many things they accuse Thee 
of! 

Jesus still remains absolutely silent. The For- 
um is now seething with excitement. The people 
incited by the priests and others who are circu- 
lating among them, are crowding nearer and 
clamoring for they know not what. Pilate mo- 
tions in vain for silence, and -finally directs his 
guards to take charge of the prisoner and lead 
Him within the palace. 

Pilate 
(to Caiaphas) 
Wait thou here and I will return to thee when 
I have had speech with the prisoner. 



II 

The Justification 

Scene: Within the Praetorium. A vast hall. 
A soldier on guard at the door some distance 
away. Pilate seated alone with Jesus standing 
bound before him, 

Pilate 
{questioning his prisoner with wonderment and 
some note of pity in his voice) 
Art Thou the King of the Jews? 

Jesus 
{quietly bending upon the Governor a mild yet 
penetrating gaze) 

Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others 
tell it thee of Me? 

Pilate 
{contemptuously) 
Am I a Jew ? Thine own nation and the chief 
priests have delivered Thee unto me. Didst 
not hear and see ? What hast Thou done ? 
Jesus slowly shakes His head but says nothing. 

Pilate 
And Thy kingdom? 



90 Gethsemane and After. 

Jesus 
(softly) 

My kingdom is not of this world. 

THE MAN looks out of the nearest east win- 
dow toward the far blue of the Oriental sky of 
morning as if He saw, beyond its void, things un- 
translatable to other human souls. 

Pilate 
(impatient of what he believes an evasion) 
Where then doth it lie? 

Jesus 
(calmly ignoring His questioner's impatience) 
If My kingdom were of this world, then would 
My servants fight that I should not be delivered 
to the Jews. . . . 

Pilate 
(scornfully) 
What meanest Thou? 

Jesus 
(indicating by a movement of His head the mul- 
titude without whose confused shouts and cries 
are heard through the open windows) 
But now is My kingdom not from hence. 



Gethsemane and After. 91 

Pilate 
(incredulously) 
Art Thou a king, then? 

Jesus 
(inclining His head) 
Thou sayest. . . . 

Pilate 
(interrupting swiftly) 
Not I, but Thy people. 

Jesus 
(lifting His head with conscious dignity and 
looking straight at the puzzled Roman) 

That I am a King. 

His voice is now raised until it rings authorita- 
tively through the great hall. Pilate stares at 
Him in surprise mingled with contempt. 

Pilate 
(impatiently) 
Thou art mad! King of what? Of where? 
For what purpose? 

Jesus 
(continuing) 
To this end was I born. 



92 Gethsemane and After. 

Pilate 
(indifferently) 

To what end? 

Jesus 
(with emphasis) 
And for this cause came I into the world, that 
I should bear witness unto the truth. 

Pilate 
(questioning) 
And Thy subjects to whom Thou br ingest 
this message? 

Jesus 
(forcibly but with a note of pleading in His 
voice) 

Everyone that is of the truth heareth My 
voice. 

Pilate 
(contemptuously) 
What is truth? 

He laughs slightly, and, giving Jesus no time to 
answer, rises summons the soldier on guard at 
the door by a gesture, and turns back to the 
portico. 

Pilate 
Follow me. 



Ill 

The Acquittal 

Scene: Outside the Praetorium again. The 
place is now densely packed with people from 
whom a great confused roar arises as Pilate, fol- 
lowed by Jesus with the lictors and soldiers, once 
more appears on the portico. Pilate raises his 
hand until the noise dies away. 

Pilate 

{clearly) 

Regarding this Man, Jesus, I have examined 

Him. 

He pauses. ~ 

t Caiaphas 

{clamorously) 
Give sentence! 

The People 

{echoing him) 
A sentence! A sentence! 

Pilate 
{loudly and emphatically, looking directly at 
Caiaphas and speaking deliberately) 
I find no fault in Him at all. 



94 Gethsemane and After. 

A Voice 

(from the Forum) 
Accursed. 

Another Voice 
Traitor ! 

The Multitude 
Away with Him ! 
Death ! 
Judgment ! Judgment ! 

Caiaphas 
(pointing to the seething mob) 
Behold, how He stirreth up the people. 

Annas 
(insinuatingly) 
Thou seest He teacheth rebellion, Oh, Gover- 
nor! 

Voices 
Traitor! 
Seditionary ! 
King ! King ! 

The Multitude 
Sentence! Give Sentence! 
Blasphemer ! 
Away with Him! 



Gethsemane and After. 95 

Pilate 

(with stern disgust) 

Silence ! Silence, you dogs ! ( When quiet is in 

a measure restored, he continues, but now with a 

little note of uncertainty in his voice.) I find no 

crime in this Man. 

Caiaphas 
(raising his voice until it is heard above the roar 
of the tumult) 

He would make Himself King ! 

Voices 
Ay, King ! King of the Jews ! 

Caiaphas 
(persisting) 

King throughout all Judea, beginning from 

GaHke - P!LATE 

(with a relief almost inexpressible in his voice) 
Is He then a Galilean? 

Caiaphas 
(wondering) 

Of Nazareth in Galilee, but what mattereth 

th3t? Pl LATE 

(quickly) 
Take Him to Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee. 



96 Gethsemane and After. 

Caiaphas 
(protesting) 

But, Oh, Roman 

Pilate 
(with indignant emphasis) 
Take Him to Herod! 

He turns away followed by the lictors, leaving 
a centurion and the soldiers of the guard in the 
portico confronting the priests and the mob, and 
disappears in the palace. After a moment of 
amazed and indignant silence, Caiaphas motions 
the Temple Captain to seize the prisoner. He 
descends the steps follozved by THE MAN and 
all of the other Jews, the crozvd giving way as 
he proceeds. 

Caiaphas 
(under his breath) 
Curses on the Roman. To Herod then must it 
be. 

The mob singing, yelling, dancing, laughing, 
follows after, leaving the soldiers alone in the por- 
tico. The last to leave is a little band of women 
supported and encouraged by a solitary young 
man, whose name is John. The centurion looks 
at them sneeringly and, throwing back his head, 
breaks into mocking laughter as the Forum is 
cleared. 



IV 
The Condemnation 

Scene: The Praetorium as before. Time: 
Later in the morning. A blare of trum- 
pets is heard in the distance. A rabble of 
boys straggles into the square which has been 
deserted save for chance passers-by. Down one 
of the long streets, over the heads of the children, 
the vivid sunlight gleams on brazen trumpets, 
on spear points of bright steel, and is flashed 
back by burnished helmets. A body of soldiers 
follow the line of trumpeters. After the soldiers 
walks a man clad in royal raiment, with an air of 
pride and authority upon his handsome but dis- 
sipated countenance. Attending him on either 
side are his officers and courtiers followed by 
Annas, Caiaphas, and other members of the San- 
hedrin. Back of them walks THE MAN. A 
royal robe of spotless white is thrown about 
His bound person. He is closely and securely 
guarded by more soldiers who close the rear of 
the procession. 

The little procession is followed by an immense 
number of people of all ranks, conditions and sta- 
tions. As is usual, the baser sort predominates, 



98 Gethsemane and After. 

many of the riffraff of the city having taken ad- 
vantage of the immunity of numbers to emerge 
from the haunts in which they were accustomed 
to secrete themselves. It is a bright and pleasant 
morning, and the air is filled with jest and laugh- 
ter. 

Apparently there is enmity between Herod and 
the priests who walk after him. When the pro- 
cession stops before the pavement, with a 
mockery of courtesy, Herod, Caiaphas and 
Annas exchange salutations and part. Herod, at- 
tended by his chosen courtiers and a few of the 
soldiers, ascends to the pavement and steps to- 
ward the door of the Praetorium. His soldiers, at 
a sign from their commander, compel THE MAN 
to mount the pavement. They close around Him 
so that the multitude does not get a clear view 
of Him, and in the attention attracted by the 
High Priest and other members of the Sandhed- 
rin who are busily going from man to man, forc- 
ing their slow zvay through the people, Jesus is 
comparatively unnoticed. 

A Roman soldier at the door of the Praetorium 
bars the way. 

Soldier 
(respectfully, but firmly) 

What would ye? . 



Gethsemane and After. 99 

Herod Antipas 
(smiling) 
Carry word to the Procurator, the most noble 
Pontius Pilate, that Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of 
Galilee, would have speech with him. 

Soldier 
(turning toward the door and crying loudly) 
Officer of the guard! 

Voice 
(from within) 
What seek ye? 

The officer appears in the doorway a moment 
after. 

Soldier 
(saluting) 
The Tetrarch of Galilee desires audience with 
the Procurator. 

Officer of the Guard 
(bowing toward Herod) 
A moment, your excellency. 
He turns and disappears. Herod chats casually 
with his attendants, from time to time turning 
back to look curiously at the bound captive. Pres- 
ently, the officer reappears. 

Lore. 



100 Gethsemane and After. 

Officer 
The noble Pilate declares that you honor him 
in your visit and begs you to enter forthwith. 

Herod 
(speaking to his nearest companion) 
There hath been enmity of old betwixt our- 
selves and the Roman. Yet 'tis a courteous mes- 
sage, perhaps 

(He disappears through the doorway.) 

The square has now become packed with peo- 
ple. The officer who admitted Herod summons a 
messenger from within. He gives an order, and 
presently a body of Roman soldiery defiles out 
upon the pavement. In the guard room to one 
side of the Praetorium can be seen othe? soldiers 
hastily arming themselves. The open street on 
the other side of the Praetorium is soon filled with 
armed men. Above them the sunlight shines 
upon the Roman eagles. Pilate has called to arms 
the cohort which he has brought with him as his 
personal guard on this visit to the city during the 
Passover Feast. They are ready for any emer- 
gency. The magnificent legionaries on the porch 
look scornfully at the soldiers of the Tetrarch, 
who sustain their gaze uneasily. 



Gethsemane and After. 101 

Presently there is a sharp command. The Ro- 
mans on the portico come to attention. Their ex- 
ample is follozved by the Jews guarding THE 
MAN. 

In the doorway Pontius Pilate appears and by 
his side walks Herod. The two are arm in arm. 
They are chatting together pleasantly with every 
appearance of amity. Pilate stops by his soldiery. 
Herod turns, bozvs to him, and with a zvord of 
farezvell, passes on to his own guards. One of 
his men gives an order. The Jewish soldiers re- 
lease Jesus and form in ranks. The trumpets 
blare. At a signal the soldiers descend and open 
a way through the crowd. Herod and his friends 
follow. Pilate waves them farewell as they dis- 
appear through the multitude and down the 
street. 

At a nod from the Governor, a centurion and 
four of his own soldiers advance and stand by 
the bound and white-robed -figure of Jesus. The 
passing of Herod's soldiers discloses THE MAN 
standing alone with bowed head. 

A Voice 
(shrill, from the crowd) 
The Nazarene! 



102 Gethsemane and After. 

The Multitude 

The King of the Jews ! 

Pilate steps haughtily forward to the edge of 
the pavement. A number of slaves bring out 
from the Praetorium a great gilded chair or 
throne, which they set down in the center of the 
pavement facing the people. 

Pilate 
{looking about and then turning to Jesus) 
Where are thine accusers? 
He does not wait for an answer, but speaks to 
the centurion, whose name is Longinus. The lat- 
ter steps to the very edge of the platform and 
raises his hand for silence. 

Longinus 
(in a loud voice) 
Let Caiaphas, Annas and those who accuse this 
Man present themselves before the most noble 
Procurator. 

Voices 
(from the crowd) 
The accusers! 
The High Priest! 
Caiaphas ! 
The Sanhedrin! 



Gethsemane and After. 103 

Show thyselves, Masters ! 

Forcing their way through the crowd, flushed, 
panting, indignant at the loss of dignity they are 
sustaining, Caiaphas, assisting the aged Annas 
and followed by other members of the Sanhedrin, 
struggles to the platform. They group themselves 
near the edge a little distance from Pilate, Annas 
and Caiaphas in the forefront. 

Pilate sits down upon the judgment seat which 
is raised above the pavement. He has Caiaphas 
and the rest on his right, Jesus on his left. Back 
of him the portico is now filled with rank upon 
rank of legionaries who stand at attention in 
quiet, composed, yet stern menace; exemplify- 
ing the power, as Pilate the authority, of Rome. 
The dark building forms a fitting background for 
the brilliant picture, not without its element of 
magnificence. The polished armor of the soldiery, 
the bright gold of the eagles, the imposing ma- 
jesty of the throne upon which Pilate sits clothed 
in a toga of spotless white bordered with purple 
and clasped with gems, Caiaphas in all the golden 
glory of priestly robes, the rich dresses of Annas 
and the other Sanhedrists, are all in deep con- 
trast to the bound figure of Jesus; although He, 
too, in mockery, is clothed in a robe of royal 



104 Gethsemane and After. 

white fastened with a glittering buckle, or brooch, 
at the neck. 

His face is terrible to look upon. For the sec- 
ond time since His betrayal He has endured the 
mockery, the insults and the physical brutality of 
His captors; on this occasion from the hands of 
the soldiers of Herod. Pilate looks from Jesus to 
Caiaphas and says nothing. He is evidently pon- 
dering the situation deeply and at last it is the 
Jew, not the Roman, who breaks the intolerable 
silence. 

Caiaphas 
(chafing under the submission of his waiting po- 
sition) 

You sent for us, Oh, Roman? 

Pilate draws a deep breath and turns his head 
toward them. A sudden zvave of silence spreads 
over the crowd. It is very still in the square. 
Pilate raises his voice, which is deep and strong, 
if somewhat harsh — the voice of a soldier ac- 
customed to command — so that it may be heard 
to the confines of the Forum. 

Pilate 
(speaking slowly and emphatically) 
Ye brought this Man unto me (he points to 



Gethsemane and After. 105 

Jesus) as one that perverteth the people (he com- 
prehends in his glance the multitude in the 
square) and behold I, having examined Him be- 
fore you, found no fault in this Man touching 
those things whereof ye accuse Him. 

Caiaphas 
(interrupting) 
So thou didst declare yet earlier in the morn- 
ing. 

Pilate 
(continuing) 
I find no crime in Him. No, nor yet Herod, 
for he sent Him back unto us and declareth that 
nothing worthy of death hath been done by Him. 
(Caiaphas and Annas start forward angrily. 
A murmur breaks from the crowd.) 

Pilate 
(rising and speaking firmly) 
I will therefore chastise Him and release Him. 

Caiaphas 
(facing the crowd and including with a sweep 
of his left arm Pilate and THE MAN) 
Away with Him! Away with Him! 



106 Gethsemane and After. 

Annas 
(shrilly) 
Let Him be crucified! 

The Multitude 
(repeating) 
Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 

Pilate 
(frowning) 
Why, what evil hath He done? 

The People 
(again) 
Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 

Pilate 
(disdaining the multitude and remonstrating to 
the priests) 

I have found no cause of death in Him. I will 
therefore chastise Him and let Him go. 

Caiaphas 
(disregarding Pilate's suggestion and appealing 
directly to the people) 
The custom of the Passover. Demand it. 

Priests 
A release! A release! 



Gethsemane and After. 107 

Voices 
Freedom for a prisoner! 

The Multitude 
The custom of the Passover! A freedom! 

Pilate 
{hopefully) 
Ye have a custom that I should release unto 
you one at the Passover. 

Voices 
True, Oh, Governor. 

The Multitude 
A release! A release! 

Pilate 
{pointing to Jesus) 
Will ye, therefore, that I release unto you the 
King of the Jews? 

The People 
Crucify Him ! Crucify Him ! 

A Loud Voice 
Barabbas ! 

Pilate 
{struck with the sound of that name, gives an 
order to a soldier and then asks again) 



108 Gethsemane and After. 

Whom will ye that I release unto you, Bar- 
abbas or Jesus, which is called the Christ ? 

Annas 
(shrilly) 
Barabbas ! 

Voices 
Not this man. 

The Multitude 
Barabbas ! Barabbas ! 

Pilate stands uncertainly looking over the seeth- 
ing mob. Annas, his old face convulsed with rage, 
raises his hand and leads the wild cry for Barab- 
bas. Caiaphas looks at the Governor with a cold, 
sneering smile upon his lips. In the midst of the 
confusion an attendant forces his way through 
the guards at the back, steps up to Pilate, bows 
before him and presents a tablet. 

The Attendant 
(speaking loudly to be heard in the noise and 
confusion) 

From the most noble lady, thy wife, lord. 

Pilate 
(exclaiming in surprise) 
Claudia ! 
He takes the tablet and glances at it. 



Gethsemane and After. 109 

Pilate 
(reading aloud) 
"Have thou nothing to do with that just Man, 
for I have suffered many things this day in a 
dream because of Him." 
He hands the tablet to the attendant. 

Pilate 
{speaking) 

'Tis well. Say to thy mistress thou hast dis- 
charged thine errand. I will do what I may. 

Meanwhile from the prison behind the Praetori- 
um a quaternion of the soldiers brings forth a 
bound man. He is a wild, fierce zealot. Evil is 
writ largely over his countenance. He is a thief 
and a murderer and looks it. He is dragged for- 
ward and shoved close beside THE MAN. Jesus 
lifts His head, looks upon him and then turns 
and faces the crowd. Pilate, once again com- 
manding silence, points to the two who stand 
side by side. 

Pilate 
(loudly) 
Whether of the twain will ye that I release 
unto you? 



110 Gethsemane and After. 

The People 
(with one voice) 

Barabbas ! 

The robber throws back his head and laughs. 
He looks contemptuously at THE MAN by his 
side. Jesus holds Himslf erect and confronts the 
mob. There is that in His glance which causes 
those nearest to quail, but their emotions count 
for little. Even the Sanhedrin joins in the great 
cry for Barabbas which rises and throbs and beats 
about the square and hurls the name of the crim- 
inal back and forth until it ascends in a mighty 
wave of sound far into the bright sky of the 
morning. Tre Multitude 

Barabbas ! Barabbas ! Give us Barabbas ! 

Pilate 
(again endeavoring to effect his purpose, which 
is the release of THE MAN) 

What shall I do then with Jesus, which is 
called Christ? 

Voices 
Let Him be crucified! 

Pilate 
(vainly trying to still the storm) 
Why, what evil hath He done? 



Gethsemane and After. Ill 

The People 
Crucify Him! 
Pilate endeavors to speak again, but finds it im- 
possible to make himself heard. He looks from 
the mob to the mocking face of Caiaphas, the 
eager and passion inflamed countenances of An- 
nas and the other members of the Sanhedrin. 
Suddenly he turns upon his heel, beckons to the 
soldiers guarding Jesus and enters the Praetor- 
ium. THE MAN and His guards follow him. 
The mob changes it cry from 

Crucify Him! 

to 

Barabbas ! 

The commander of the cohort to whom Pilate 
has spoken a word nods to the centurion. The 
latter gives an order to the soldiers. They unbind 
the murderer. The centurion points to the crowd 
as a sign that he may go free. Barabbas straight- 
ens himself up, stretches out his arms, bows iron- 
ically to the mob, which is now shouting his 
name, passes the High Priest, hesitates as if he 
would fain speak to him, bends low in submis- 
sion as Caiaphas turns from him in scorn, de- 
scends to the pavement and is lost in the crowd 



112 Gethsemane and After. 

which closes around him with shouts and cheers 
of approbation. 

In the midst of the tumult Pilate again comes 
upon the portico, followed by Jesus. 

Pilate 
(standing at the very edge of the portico and 
crying in a loud voice) 

Behold I bring Him forth to you that ye may 
know that I find no crime in Him. 

The People 
Away with Him! 

Pilate 
(anxiously) 
Will ye that I release unto you the King of 
the Jews? 

A Voice 
We have Barabbas. Tis enough. 

The People 
Away with Him! 

Pilate 

(against hope) 

What will ye then that I shall do unto Him whom 

ye call the King of the Jews ? 

The People 

Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 



Gethsemane and After. 113 

Pilate 
(persistent) 

Why, what evil 

The People 

Crucify Him ! Crucify Him ! 

Pilate confronts them silenced, amazed and dis- 
mayed at the passion they have displayed. Like 
every governor, he fears a riot, and wonders if 
it be worth while to run the risk of it for 
this Nazarene. He looks again and again 
from Jesus, to the Chief Priests, to the peo- 
ple. His glance wanders back to the balcony of 
the Praetorium where he sees the pale face of 
Claudia Procula, his wife, regarding him. With 
clasped hands she stands looking down upon him. 
The indecision of the Governor is plainly ap- 
parent. Incited by Caiaphas and the attendant 
priests the people redouble their demands. It 
seems as if hell itself has broken loose. The 
square fairly heaves with convulsed passion. For 
some moments Pilate stands in deep thought, 
pondering if it be worth while to run the risk of 
an uprising for this Galilean. Jesus looks at 
him, pity for the weakness of the man in 
His face. Finally, Pilate comes to a con- 
clusion. He says a word to the nearest soldier. 



114 Gethsemane and After. 

The man salutes, enters the Praetorium and pres- 
ently comes out from the portico accompanied by 
a slave bearing a bronze laver or wash basin. 
In obedience to a gesture from the soldier, the 
servant comes forward, kneels down before the 
Governor and presents the basin. Pilate looks 
again from Jesus to Caiaphas, to the people. 
Again he hesitates and is lost. He is afraid to 
provoke the people further, so he raises his hand 
and holds it erect until the tumult dies. The atti- 
tude of the Governor, the advent of the slave with 
the basin of water, suggest things to the Jews. 
Caiaphas and Annas exchange glances and nod 
significantly. They see that they are about to tri- 
umph. When quiet has been in a measure re- 
stored, Pilate dips his hands in the water and lifts 
them up dripping. He goes through the motions 
of washing them. He rubs them together as if 
cleansing them. 

Caiaphas 
(whispering) 
He washeth his hands. 

Annas 
(quoting softly) 
"And all the elders of that city that are next 



Gethsemane and After. 115 

unto the slain man shall wash their hands and 
say . . . Our hands have not shed this 
blood, neither have our eyes seen it." 

A Scribe 
Rabbi, it is so writ in the law of Moses. 

Pilate 
(with deep gravity) 
I am innocent of the blood of this just Per- 
son. (He extends his arms and the slave pours 
the contents of the basin over them. He raises 
his voice and extends his dripping hand over 
the multitude) 

Pilate 
See ye to it. 

There is a moment of painful silence in that 
great Forum. Annas breaks it with his old shrill 
voice. 

Annas 
(crying loudly) 
His blood be on us and upon our children. 

The People 
(led by the priests, all repeating with one voice) 
His blood be upon us and upon our children. 



116 Gethsemane and After. 

Caiaphas 
(approaching Pilate) 
We thank thee, Roman. 

Pilate 
(contemptuously, turning his back upon him and 
addressing the centurion) 

They shall have their wish. Go, soldier, make 
ready the cross. Let Him be crucified. 

Longinus 
(saluting) 
When, Oh, Governor ? 

Pilate 
To-day, on the instant, but let Him first be 
scourged. 



V 

Behold the Man! 

Not deigning to notice Caiaphas, after one 
glance at THE MAN, Pilate disappears into the 
Praetorium. 

Rising from the level of the square in front 
of the pavement is a low stone pillar with iron 
rings at the top. At the command of the cen- 
turion, the soldiers guarding Jesus take off the 
white robe in which He had been arrayed by 
Herod in mockery and remove His other gar- 
ments, so that he stands naked to the waist. A 
detachment from the cohort clears a space about 
the pillar, driving the people back. Two men, 
each carrying a scourge or flagellum appear. 
Jesus is dragged down to the pavement; His 
hands are untied, His arms are lifted up and 
lashed to the rings of the pillar. The two men 
armed with the whips step forward. Each im- 
plement of torture is composed of a number of 
leather thongs attached to a short handle. At 
intervals in each thong there are pieces of lead, 
sharp bits of flint, jagged bones, or rusty nails. 

There is deep silence in the forum. Those far- 
ther back climb upon pillars and porches. Little 



118 Gethsemane and After. 

ones are lifted to the shoulders of men and wo- 
men that they may see. The priests look 
down upon their victim and their people from 
the pavement. At a sign from the centurion, one 
of the torturers lifts his scourge and strikes 
hard and deep. A scream rises from the out- 
skirts of the crowd as the cruel thongs tear the 
naked flesh. THE MAN shudders but makes no 
sound. 

Nearest in the rank of spectators stands Bar- 
abbas. As he hears the dreadful crash of the whip 
he laughs and points his finger. 

Barabbas 
{yelling) 
The King of the Jews ! Ho! Ho! 

The Multitude 
{laughing) 
The King ! The King of the Jews ! 
And so amid shouting, jeering, mocking, the 
dreadful beating is continued until the end. And 
the Sufferer endures it all in silence. When it is 
over THE MAN'S hands are unbound. His gar- 
ments are thrown over His raw and bleeding 
back. He is half carried, half dragged up to the 



Gethsemane and After. 119 

portico and turned over to the soldiers of the 
cohort in the guard room of the Praetorium. 
Through the windows the blood-thirsty crowd, 
waiting outside, catches glimpses of what is 
going on. Some, in buildings that over- 
look the windows, tell the story to those farther 
away. Jesus is stripped of His clothing. A tat- 
tered old scarlet cloak belonging to a soldier is 
draped about His person. Some one plaits a 
crown of thorns and crushes it down upon His 
head. They throne Him upon a pile of benches. 
A reed is thrust into His hand. With uproarious 
mockery, the legionaries kneel before Him and 
salute Him as "King of the Jews." Their 
"Hails" and their derisive cries are plainly heard 
outside to the great annoyance and discomfort of 
Caiaphas and the rest. Presently their mockery 
takes on a ruder, fiercer guise. They spit upon 
Him, beat Him, strike Him with their hands, 
thrust at Him with the butts of their spears and 
with mailed hands force the thorny crown more 
■firmly upon His forehead. 

In the crowd without, John had stood on the 
outskirts until the scourging. With him were 
Mary } the Mother of Jesus, and the other wo- 
men, but as the horrible flagellum had fallen, 



120 Gethsemane and After. 

he had led the mother away. Now he has come 
back. He forces his way through the multitude 
until he reaches a position whence he can see 
what is going on in the Praetorium. Helpless, fie 
prays and looks with tear-blinded eyes and a 
breaking heart. 

John 
(murmuring) 

"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks 
to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my 
face from shame and spitting." 

The revelry is interrupted by the entrance of 
Pilate. He is followed by a servant carrying a 
board which bears an inscription. 

Pilate 
(peremptorily) 

It is enough. 

He steps close to the prisoner and looks upon 
Him a long time. Wiping the blood from His 
eyes, Jesus returns his glance. The King, blood- 
crowned, sits upon His throne and the em- 
purpled Roman stands wondering before Him. 
There is silence. Pilate at last beckons and turns 
away. Four soldiers and the centurion close 
about Jesus. They drag Him from the pile of 



Gethsemane and After. 121 

benches and support Him as He stands trembling 
and swaying upon the floor. Pilate leaves the 
Praetorium and goes out upon the porch. Jesus 
and the soldiers follow. Pilate stops outside the 
door. Caiaphas and the others who have retired 
into the shade of the portico make a motion to 
step forward, but Pilate checks them. Alone, 
followed closely by THE MAN he walks to the 
very edge of the raised pavement. The sight of 
Jesus is so terrible that awe and curiosity again 
bring silence. Pilate and THE MAN stop and 
look at the people. After a long pause the 
Governor lifts his linger and points toward Jesus, 
thorn-crowned, scarlet-robed, blood-stained. 
Pilate 
(with a touch of awe in his voice) 
Behold the Man! 

Annas and Caiaphas wave their hands at the 
people from the background. 

The Multitude 
Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 
Pilate 
(desperately disappointed) 
Take ye Him and crucify Him, for I find no 
crime in Him. 



122 Gethsemane and After. 

Annas 
{swiftly) 
We have a law and by our law He ought to die. 

The People 
Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 

Caiaphas 
(taking the word from Annas' mouth) 
Because He made Himself the Son of God. 

The People 

Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 

Pilate turns away and enters the Praetorium, 
once more followed by Jesus and his soldiers. 
He sits down in his private room. Jesus stands 
before him. Pilate, with bent head and furrow- 
ed brow, remains a few moments in deep 
thought. p ILATE 

(speaking to himself curiously) 
The Son of God! (muttering) What meaneth 

that? (He lifts his head and looks keenly at 

THE MAN.) Whence art Thou? 
Jesus returns his glance in silence. 

Pilate 
(peremptorily) 
Speakest Thou not unto me? Knowest Thou 



Gethsemane and After. 123 

not that I have power to crucify Thee, and have 
power to release Thee? 

Jesus 

(quietly) 

Thou couldst have no power at all against 

Me, except it were given thee from above. 

Therefore, he that delivered Me unto thee hath 

the greater sin. 

Pilate 
(wondering) 
Dost Thou mean Caiaphas? 
Jesus answers nothing. He looks away. 
Pilate sits a long time in thought. He rises 
at last and once more goes upon the portico with 
Jesus. His mood is changed. Incertitude has 
given way to decision and with it has come back 
all his contempt for the Jew. 

Pilate 
(sitting down upon the judgment seat and point- 
ing to Jesus) 

Behold your King! 

The People 
(derisively) 
Hail, King of the Jews! 



124 Gethsemane and After. 

Caiaphas 
{fiercely) 
If thou let this Man go, thou art not Caesar's 
friend. 

The People 
Hail, King of the Jews! 

Annas 
{shrewdly following Caiaphas 9 suggestion) 
Whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh 
against Caesar. 

Voices 
Away with Him ! 

The People 
Crucify Him! 

Pilate 
{in withering scorn) 
Shall I crucify your King? 

Caiaphas, Annas, and the Chief Priests 
We have no king but Caesar. 

The People 
Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 

Pilate 
So be it. Let Him be crucified. 
A detachment of soldiers Hies out of the Prae- 



Gethsemane and After. 125 

torium. They bring with them two wretched 
prisoners and wood for three crosses. The two 
beams which make up each cross are not yet 
nailed but are loosely tied together. The cen- 
turion looks at Pilate. He nods his head. The 
soldiers take off the red cloak which Jesus wears. 
They bind His hands in front of Him. His own 
garments are thrown hastily upon Him. The 
two largest beams are placed upon the shoulders 
of THE MAN. The other two criminals 
who are to die with Him are each similarly bur- 
dened. The centurion, the brief preparations being 
completed, looks again at Pilate. The Governor 
stays him by a motion. Immediately, there comes 
forward a slave bearing the white board upon 
which Pilate had written something in black 
letters. There is a sneer on Pilate's face as he 
directs the slave carrying his board which has 
been fastened temporarily to a short pole, to lift 
it up in front of the multitude. On it in Latin, 
in Greek and in the Aramaic vernacular, are 
written these words, or that zvhich stands for 
them, "The King of the Jews." It is as if the 
stamp of Roman authority and finality had been 
put upon the claim which had been the basis of 
the condemnation of Jesus. The multitude laugh 



126 Gethsemane and After. 

and cheer, but the High Priest and his atten- 
dants, keener to detect the insult, crowd around 
Pilate with remonstrance. 

Caiaphas. 
{imperiously) 
Write not, The King of the Jews; but that 
He said, I am King of the Jews. 

Pilate turns to the High Priest with loathing 
as if to revenge himself for all the weaknesses of 
which he himself has been guilty and to heap the 
odium that is in his own soul at his own conduct 
upon the instigator of it. 

Pilate 

What I have written, I have written. 

He goes for the last time into the Praetorium. 
There is a zvord of command from the centurion. 
The soldiers come to attention. They step for- 
ward followed by the condemned and proceed 
down the street. After them come the High 
Priest and his fellow ecclesiastics and after them, 
around them, and before them, the mob. 



Part IV 
THE VIA DOLOROSA 



I 

The Crossbearer to the King. 

Scene: A street in Jerusalem. Time: Ap- 
proaching nine in the morning. 

A short distance to the right is the city 
wall, through which a gate opens north- 
ward. Although it is a holy day and the 
shops are closed and there is no occasion 
for the ordinary traffic, and it is yet early in the 
day, the street is filled with people surging along 
like a great tidal current. Through the gate 
thousands can be seen spreading over the sur- 
rounding country. Jews of every land and clime 
are there. "Parthians and Medes, and Elamites, 
and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, 
and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, 
and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of 
Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews 
and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians." The differ- 
ences in their clothing bespeak their variety, their 
characteristic uniformity of face proclaims their 
race. Most of the crowd are on foot, but some 



130 Gethsemane and After. 

are on horseback, on camels, in litters, or in 
chariots. While Jewish form and feature pre- 
dominate in the crowd, there are also others there, 
Greeks and Romans, brown Arabians, black Afri- 
cans and even blonde Goths from the Hyperbor- 
ean regions beyond the Rhine. The world is 
there. 

These are going out to see an execution. That 
THE MAN whom many of them had seen and 
heard during the Passover week has been con- 
demned to death, has been reported throughout 
the city. With incredible swiftness the news has 
travelled and citizens and strangers are assem- 
bling to witness the crucifixion. The high and 
the low, the rich and the poor, the weak and the 
strong, the noble and the base, are gathered to- 
gether to see Jesus of Galilee die upon the cross. 

There is not much noise among the passers-by. 
These are not those who gathered in the forum. 
Their appetites for blood have not been whetted 
by what they have seen. There is a sort of ap- 
prehensive feeling in the air which is expressed 
in voice and gesture. Ceaselessly the crowd 
sweeps by, pours through the narrow gate and 
spreads widely in the open, wondering upon what 
spot the crosses will be erected. 



Gethsemane and After. 131 

Soon the comparative silence gives place to a 
confused shouting. Down the street the sunlight 
gleams upon upraised spear points and gilded 
eagles. The focus of the noisy demonstration is 
there. Presently, led by a centurion on horse- 
back, a body of legionary soldiers, brilliant and 
glorious in full war-panoply of burnished brass 
and scarlet, marches down the street with the 
sturdy tread of veterans, indifferent to the yell- 
ing, shrieking, laughing, mocking rabble which 
precedes, surrounds and follows them. Immedi- 
ately following these are a band of slaves carry- 
ing picks, spades, hammers, nails, provisions and 
wine. After the slaves comes one who holds 
aloft on a pole a board bearing an inscription, at 
sight of which the crowds jeer and cheer de- 
risively. 

After him, surrounded by soldiers who shoul- 
der aside with rude buifetings the mob which 
would fain attack the prisoner they guard, comes 
THE MAN. He is a sight terrible to look upon. 
His blood-stained gown, tattered and soiled zvith 
the iilth that has been thrown upon it, hangs from 
His shoulders over a seamless under-tunic. His 
bare feet make bloody tracks upon the stones of 
the way. A crown of thorns surmounts His head. 



132 Gethsemane and After. 

His bright hair is tangled and clotted with blood. 
His face is ghastly white. His hands are bound 
before Him. He is bent almost double by the 
weight of two huge beams of wood upon His 
back, steadied there by the soldiers. He reels 
and staggers as He walks. The soldiers on either 
side watch Him and prevent Him from falling. 
He drags Himself forward with incredible slow- 
ness, constantly urged to hurry by the soldiers. 
Back of Him, similarly guarded are two others 
condemned to die, sturdier men, each carrying a 
cross. Their faces, too, are white, but with fear 
and terror. There is no fear in the face of THE 
MAN. His is the pallor of complete, utter physi- 
cal exhaustion to zvhich is superadded the deso- 
lating sense of treachery and abandonment. He 
looks neither to the right nor to the left as He 
plods wearily on. The accompanying malefac- 
tors peer eagerly from one side of the street to 
the other, as if seeking pity or help from that 
pitiless mob. Back of Jesus and the malefactors 
marches another band of Roman soldiers. After 
these stalks Caiaphas surrounded by Temple 
Guards and attended by Annas, the chief priests 
and members of the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas walks 
in haughty disdain of the people. His disgust — 



Gethsemane and After. 133 

a feeling in which all of his retinue share— is 
apparent Nevertheless he feels it necessary to 
see that the punishment is carried out to the bit- 
ter end. And he knows not what untoward event 
may render his presence necessary. 

Just as they reach the city gate, the procession 
is suddenly halted. THE MAN falls prone upon 
the earth, His face hidden in His bound hands. 
The weight of the heavy cross beams has crushed 
Him down. The centurion, Longinus, turns and 
rides backward. He reins in his horse and looks 
hard at the prostrate figure, 

Longinus 
(to a soldier) 
How now ! Touch Him with the butt of thy 
spear, soldier. 

The soldier thrusts THE MAN lightly in the 
side. 

The Soldier 

(harshly) 

Rise, King of the Jews. Your throne awaits 
you. 

THE MAN makes an effort but He cannot 
lift the burden that lies upon His shoulders. 



134 Gethsemane and After. 

The Soldier 
(to the centurion) 
I think He hath fainted. 

Longinus 
(contemptuously) 
They be weak stuff, these Jews. 
He looks over the crowd. 
There is one who seems stronger yonder. 
He points to a sturdy, middle-aged man, appar- 
ently a stranger to the city — perhaps a visitor for 
the Passover Feast, who stands wondering and 
surprised, not comprehending. 

Longinus 
(quickly) 
Sirrah, thy name? 

The Man 
(respectfully) 
Simon of Cyrene, your worship. 

Longinus 
(with grim pleasantry) 
Well, Simon of Cyrene, we appoint you cross- 
bearer to your king. Come hither. 

The countryman, who is a sturdy man of mid- 
dle age, comes slowly forward. 



Gethsemane and After. 135 

Simon 
(bewildered) 
I do not understand. 

Longinus 
(laughing) 
But little understanding is required to bear a 
cross. 

Simon 
(questioningly) 
But the king? 

Longinus 

(pointing) 
He lieth there. 

(to the soldiers) 
Way for the cross-bearer. 

The People 

Hail, King of the Jews ! Hail, the cross-bear- 
er to the King! 

Urged forward by the soldiers, Simon stops 
by the side of THE MAN. 

Simon 
(gravely) 
What is it you would have me do? 



136 Gethsemane and After. 

A Soldier 
(pointing) 
We crucify this man without the walls. He 
hath fallen under the cross. To you the burden. 

Simon 
(protesting) 
But . . . 

LONGINUS 

(interrupting) 

We waste words. Take up the cross. For- 
ward! 

The soldiers lift the cross from THE MAN 
and lay it upon the shoulders of Simon. They 
drag Jesus to His feet and the procession moves 
on. 



II 

The Daughters of Jerusalem. 

Near the city gate a little group of women, 
strangers to THE MAN, but moved by the terri- 
ble picture of suffering that He presents, raise 
their voices in wild lamentation. Tears stream 
from their eyes and they stretch out their hands 
to Him. It is not an acknowledgement in any 
sense of the claims of Jesus. It is simply the 
natural expression of pity in a few human hearts 
which are moved by suffering. It is the one 
touch of kindness that He has received since the 
day before. He stops, lifts His head and with a 
sudden access of strength, turns and speaks to 
them. 

Jesus 

Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but 
weep for yourselves and for your children. 

Voices 
(in the mob, interrupting) 
Away with Him! Hasten without the walls! 

Jesus 
For behold the days are coming in which they 
shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs 



138 Gethsemane and After. 

that never bear, and the paps which never gave 
suck. 

Longinus 
(from the head of the procession, looking back) 
Why halt ye ? Advance ! 

Jesus 
(lifting up His bound hands and glancing abroad 
at the hills which stand round about Jerusalem) 
Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 
Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover us. 

The Mob. 
Hail, King of the Jews! 

Voices 
To the place of the cross! 
Longinus 

(impatiently) 
Forward! Forward! Silence the Man! 
The soldiers move toward Jesus, but for the 
time their hands seem to be holden. 

Jesus 
(looking about Him sadly as if for the last time 
within the Holy City) 

If they do these things in a green tree, what 
shall be done in a dry! 



Gethsemane and After. 139 

He turns and moves on, passing through the 
gate to be met by a great cry from the expectant 
multitude who have been staring impatiently at 
the entrance. 

The People 
Lo, He comes! 

Voices 
The King of the Jews! Hail! Hail! 



Part V 
GOLGOTHA 



1 

The Crosses on the Hill 

Scene: A bare, rocky hillock, or knoll, whose 
rounded slopes in shape suggest the upper part of 
the human skull. Hard by rise the high towering 
walls of ancient Jerusalem, gray, mossy, forbid- 
ding. A main highway runs along the base of 
the hill. The country is rough, stony and broken. 
Sepulchers and tombs are cut in the craggy hill- 
sides. Sparse and stunted reeds and bushes grow 
in ravines and sheltered nooks here and there. 
But the vegetation is scanty and the nearer aspect 
of the country is arid and sterile. Farther away, 
like an oasis in a desert, may be seen the trees 
and verdure of a thickly-wooded, watered garden 
nestling against the base of a high cliff. It is a 
bright spot of greenness in the forlorn and deso- 
late land. 

The whole countryside is covered with people, 
moving to and fro, shifting back and forth, all 
interested and excited looking toward the city 
wall and the hill shaped like a skull. The crowd 



144 Gethsemane and After. 

is densest about this hill and is with difficulty 
kept from encroaching upon its crest by a line of 
Roman soldiers thrown around it, who have 
trouble in restraining the slow, pushing, converg- 
ing movement of many people anxious to see 
what is going on. The line of soldiers is about 
half way down the slope of the knoll and the 
little group on the summit is plainly visible to 
most of the great multitude. 

On the crest a half dozen slaves are digging 
three holes; one on the highest point of the hill, 
the others on either side, a little farther down. 
The wooden beams borne by the condemned from 
the Praetorium to the place of execution have been 
laid upon the ground and the soldiers have rap- 
idly spiked the two beams securely together in 
the shape of a so-called Latin Cross. The con- 
demned, who have been standing during this pro- 
ceeding, are now unbound and their garments 
with the exception of a loin cloth are stripped 
from them and laid in heaps on the ground. A 
draught of wine mingled with myrrh is now 
proffered to the condemned. It is gently refused 
by THE MAN, although the others partake of 
it greedily. 

Inasmuch as the actual crucifixion is now to 



Gethsemane and After. 145 

take place, through the crowd a murmur runs, 
which is quickly subdued and the multitude falls 
into a sudden stillness, every eye strained to the 
huddle of men on the hill, every ear attuned to 
listen. 

Soldier 
(to the centurion) 
Who first? 

LONGINUS 

(sarcastically) 
None takes precedence of the king. 

Soldier 
(falling in with his captain's contemptuous hu- 
mor) 

Nazarene, thy throne awaits thee! 

THE MAN turns His back to the cross, gives 
one glance to the multitude, another glance 
toward the city. He sinks down upon one knee; 
His hand seeks the ground behind Him. He 
reclines with His back upon the cross, stretching 
His arms out to the extremities of the transverse 
wooden beams. 

Four soldiers, each carrying a hammer and 
spikes, step forward at a signal from the cen- 
turion and kneel down by the cross; one oppo- 



146 Gethsemane and After. 

site each arm, one at the foot and one near the 
middle of the body. The one near the middle of 
the body carries a triangular block of wood which 
he will nail to the upright to make a support for 
the crucified whose weight would otherwise tear 
his extremities free. The soldiers at either arm 
glance at each other and then simultaneously they 
place the points of the spikes in the palm of each 
hand of the victim and rain rapid blows upon the 
heads with heavy hammers. After the first awful 
thrust through the flesh there is no audible sound 
but the clinking of iron upon iron. 

The centurion, Longinus, leans forward and 
peers down into the face of THE MAN in as- 
tonishment. A spasm of pain, of agony, flits 
across it. The lips are compressed tightly to- 
gether and straighten under the anguish, but not 
even a moan is wrung from the victim to break 
the intense stillness. The soldier near the middle 
now adjusts the block and rapidly nails it to the 
upright. The man at the foot, with the assist- 
ance of one of the others who has completed his 
task, crosses the two feet of the condemned, and 
with one spike through the insteps fastens them 
to the tree. 

THE MAN has been so silent that Longinus 



Gethsemane and After. 147 

almost fancies Him dead. As the soldiers com- 
plete their task and lay aside their hammers, while 
they are yet kneeling by the victim, He speaks. 
His voice is low and clear, but endowed with 
marvelous carrying capacity. It is calm, almost 
emotionless, in its tone. 

Jesus 

Father, forgive them, for they know not what 
they do. 

The Roman soldiers are visibly astonished at 
such an utterance. Never have they heard speech 
like that from a crucified on his cross. A spell 
is on the people. They look from one to another. 
The sentence is repeated in whispers by those near 
at hand to those farther off. The air is filled with 
the murmur of it. God harkcns to it. Men mar- 
vel at it. The world remembers it. 

Caiaphas, Annas and the chief priests shift un- 
easily. They are about to say something when 
the quiet is broken by a sudden horrid tumult. 

On the hill the two malefactors who are ap- 
pointed to be crucified with Jesus are struggling 
desperately in the hands of their guards. Amid 
oaths, imprecations and blasphemies, they are, 
thrown at last and nailed to the crosses by the 



148 Gethsemane and After. 

same process as before. Their shrieks and yells 
of anguish are terrible to hear and in great con- 
trast to the quiet of the First Sufferer. The noise 
and tumult break the tension. The multitude 
sways to and fro. Voices are heard, and here and 
there a cruel laugh. Annas and Caiaphas greatly 
relieved are apparently satisfied. 

At a word from the centurion, four soldiers 
lift each cross and staggering to the appointed 
places insert the bases in the holes which have 
been made ready. The uprights are held steady 
for a few moments while the slaves f with mat- 
tocks and shovels, fill in the holes and make the 
crosses secure. Upon the short projection above 
the transverse arm of the central cross hangs 
Pilate's board. The multitude catches sight of 
it and a great shout bursts from thousands of 
lips. 

The People 

The King of the Jews! Hail, King of the 
Jews! 

The soldiers, their labors concluded, draw back 
from the foot of the crosses and wiping their 
brows, for the day is zvarm, proceed to the place 
where the garments of the condemned had been 
laid. There are four soldiers to each criminal 



Gethsemane and After. 149 

and the scanty clothing is soon apportioned 
among them, except the seamless under-tunic 
which Jesus had worn. 

First Soldier 

(holding it up) 

What shall we do with this? 

Second Soldier 
(handling it) 
Tis good cloth and worth something, though 
it be stained with blood. Divide it with thy 
sword; to each a part. 

Third Soldier 
(protesting) 
Nay, let us not rend it, but cast lots for it 
whose it shall be. 

Fourth Soldier 
(doffing his helmet and dropping some marked 
pebbles into it) 

Well thought on. We'll try the favor of the 
gods with these. 

While they settle the question bending eagerly 
over the garment, Longinus directs a subordi- 
nate to form the century, which had comprised 
the escort to the hill, in ranks and march it 



150 Gethsemane and After. 

back to the Praetorium. He himself will remain 
with four designated soldiers for each crucified, 
as a guard. 

The Under Officer 
(as he transmits the orders to the men holding 
back the crowd at the foot of the hill) 

Wouldst thou not prefer that I should stay 
and that thou shouldst go? 

Longinus 
(meditatively) 

Nay, I would fain see the end of this Galilean. 
There is something here that I understand not. 
Go thou, and tell the Governor we have crucified 
the men upon the hill according to his order. 

The officer salutes, steps to the head of his 
men and they march away through the people. 

Caiaphas, Annas and the Sanhedrin now come 
forzuard and surround the hill, their presence 
forming as effectual a barrier to the nearer ap- 
proach of the multitude as if they had been the 
soldiers. Caiaphas raises his hand and points to 
the central cross, which is a little higher than the 
other two. He smiles in significant scorn and 
derision. The attention of the people has been 
somewhat distracted by the departure of the 
soldiers, but it is now fastened upon the hill. 



Gethsemane and After. 151 

Caiaphas 
(loudly and with unmistakable sarcasm and con- 
tempt in his voice) 

He is the King of Israel ! 

Annas wags his head and laughs. The chief 
priests and others take up the cry. 

Voices 
(repeating) 
He is the King of Israel ! 

The Chief Priests 
He saved others, Himself He cannot save. 

The People 
Hail, King of the Jews ! 

Caiaphas 
(continuing) 
Lo, the destroyer of the Temple! 

The Priests 
Thou that destroyest the Temple and buildest 
it in three days, save thyself. 

The Multitude 
Hail, King of the Jews! 

Caiaphas 
(mocking) 
The Messiah! 



152 Gethsemane and After. 

The Sanhedrists 
If Thou be the Son of God, come down from 
the cross. 

The Multitude 
Hail, King of the Jews ! 

A Soldier 
(at the foot of the cross, repeating) 
Hail, King of the Jews ! Ha, ha ! 

Longinus 
(curiously, looking upward to the cross) 
If Thou be the King of the Jews, save Thy- 
self. 

Caiaphas 
(sneeringly) 
Ay, let Him now come down from the cross 
and we will believe Him ! 

Certain Scribes 
He saved others, let Him save Himself. 

The Multitude 
Hail, King of the Jews! 

Caiaphas 
(again pointing) 
He trusted in God. 



Gethsemane and After. 153 

The Chief Priests 
Let Him deliver Him now if He will have 
Him! 

The Multitude 
Hail, King of the Jews! 

Caiaphas 
(continuing) 
For He said, I am the Son of God. 

The Multitude 

Hail, King of the Jews! 

Caiaphas, Annas and the others stare long and 
hard at the Crucified. Presently, they turn and 
withdraw to another hill removed from the im- 
mediate vicinity of the place of execution, but 
one whence they can see and hear all that takes 
place. Attendants provide resting places, upon 
which those high in dignity and those advanced 
in years may sit. 

The people have now unrestrained access to 
the hill. There is a constant movement through- 
out the place. In groups, in masses, or singly, 
they approach the crosses and with gestures of 
derision, wagging their heads, they give vent to 
taunts, insults and mockeries. Curses and impre- 



154 Gethsemane and After. 

cations are heaped upon the heads of the crucified. 
Such a crowd is usually impartial in its distribu- 
tion of abuse and contempt, but in this instance 
their attention is focussed upon the central figure, 
and there is even developed by contrast a strange 
sort of sympathy for those on either side. 

Among those who approach and take their 
station at the foot of the central cross is a young 
man supporting a woman of mature years in an 
almost fainting condition. She is attended by 
several other white-faced, horror-stricken sisters. 
It is the Mother of THE MAN, and he who so 
tenderly cares for her is the Beloved Disciple, 
John. The soldiers who are now preparing their 
mid-day meal look curiously at them, the crowd 
gazes as it passes, but no one molests them. There 
is an expression, almost of pity, on the hard face 
of Longinus as he watches them. And there are 
other wretched women there; wives, sisters, 
mothers, friends, of the malefactors perhaps. 

One of the men crucified with Jesus has joined 
from time to time in the reviling of Christ by the 
Jews. Toward the noon hour he takes advantage 
of a brief period of comparative silence to turn 
his head toward the central cross, as if an idea 
had suddenly come to him. 



Gethsemane and After. 155 

First Thief 
(loudly, in tones of anguish) 
Art Thou not the Christ? Save Thyself and 
us then. 

The Second Thief, who had at first been as 
vehement as the other, but who has gradually 
fallen into silence, staring past the Figure upon 
the central cross, now speaks to his fellow. 

Second Thief 
(in tones of solemn, yet emphatic warning) 
Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the 
same condemnation? 

First Thief 
(interrupting with a hideous outbreak of curs- 
ing) 

If He be the Son of God, let Him come down 
from the cross and take us with Him. 

Second Thief 
And we indeed are justly condemned for we 
receive the due reward for our deeds, but this 
Man hath done nothing amiss. 

The People 
Hail, King of the Jews ! 



156 Gethsemane and After. 

First Thief 
(in horrible rage) 
Let Him now release me from this cross and I 
will believe on Him. 

Second Thief 
(addressing Jesus directly) 
Lord, remember me when Thou comest into 
thy kingdom. FlRST Thief 

(sneering) 
His Kingdom! Ho, ho! 

The People 
Hail, King of the Jews ! 

Jesus 
(calmly to the Second Thief) 
Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be 
with Me in Paradise. 

The Scribes 
(mocking) 
Paradise ! Paradise ! 

The Priests 
(in bitter sarcasm) 
The kingdom of the King ! 

The Multitude 
Hail, King of the Jews ! 



Gethsemane and After. 157 

As THE MAN turns His head away from the 
Second Thief, His glance falls upon the little 
group nearest the foot of the cross. The woman 
supported by the young man lifts her head and 
looks at Him, such love, such heartbreak, such 
agony, such hopelessness in her eyes as cannot 
be described. She stretches out her hands to 
Him in vain but desperate appeal. The young 
man holding her firmly looks in the same way 
at the Figure on the cross. 

Jesus 

Woman, behold thy son. 

He pauses a moment and then looks search- 
ingly at John. 

Jesus 

Behold, thy mother. 

John answers with his eyes. He cannot speak. 
He turns and half leads, half carries, the woman, 
faintly protesting, away from the hill. The 
crowd silently watches the little group pass and 
disappear through the ancient gate in the city 
wall. The last sound that greets their ears is 
a mocking cry. 

The Multitude 

Hail, King of the Jews! 



II 

The Hours of Darkness 

It is high noon now, but a strange darkness is 
in the air. An impalpable mist or grayness has 
been stealing athwart the heavens for some 
time. The sun has shone luridly through the ob- 
scurity. It grows rapidly darker and more 
dark. Presently, the sun is completely gone. 
It is not the blackness of midnight, however, 
that results, but a peculiar deepening shadow in 
which each man can perhaps see the white face 
of his nearest neighbor and no farther. Yet all 
can apprehend clearly the three crosses upon the 
high hill. Caiaphas and his assessors consult to- 
gether anxiously from time to time. Strange 
silences supervene, broken by excited sounds 
here and there which quickly die away. Many sit 
down quietly to wait the end. There is nothing 
to do but wait. The less bold and hardy slink 
azvay from the outskirts of the assemblage. Men 
look from the darkened heavens to the crosses 
in a strange awe. Only the boldest affect mock- 
ery and disdain. Here and there a single voice, 
less timid than the rest, raises the old cry. Hail, 
King of the Jews! but there is no unanimity in 



Gethsemane and After. 159 

the words, no volume of sound in the phrase 
now. The darkness grows more overpowering 
as the slow hours drag along. 

Shrieks of pain and anguish from the First 
Thief are plainly heard from time to time. The 
Second Thief has caught something of the heroic 
resolution of THE MAN and for the most part 
he is silent save for low moans now and then. 
Suddenly in the silence, a voice is heard loud 
and clear from the highest cross. 

Jesus 
Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani! 

LONGINUS 

(to a Hebrew rabbi standing near) 
What meaneth He by those words? 

The Rabbi 
(answering) 

They have this significance, Roman : My God, 
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? 

Voices 
(farther off in the darkness) 
What is this that He saith ? 

Others 
This Man calleth for Elijah. 



160 Gethsemane and After. 

The Priests 
Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to 
save Him. 

Voices 
(scattered) 
Hail, King of the Jews ! 

Nearly three hours of darkness have dragged 
on. The afternoon is wearing away when the 
watchers hear again a voice from the highest 
cross. 

Jesus 
I thirst! 

Longinus 
(to a soldier) 
Give Him to drink. 

The soldier picks up a reed and fastens upon the 
end of it a sponge. This he dips into a skin of 
sour wine which they had brought with them, 
and standing on tiptoe, he lifts it to THE MAN'S 
lips. 

It is now the ninth hour of the day, about three 
of the clock. The darkness has grown thicker un- 
til it has become a complete obscuration, and yet, 
though it radiates no light, every spectator is 
conscious of the highest cross. He sees it as it 
were in mental vision. There is a strange tremu- 



Gethsemane and After. 161 

lousness in the incorporeal air; a tremulousness, 
which, in the imagination of the beholders, seems 
to be communicated to the solid and substantial 
earth upon which they stand. Those who have 
been sitting, rise to their feet. Hands are stretch- 
ed out vaguely in the blackness as if to bring a 
reassuring feeling of companionship by the sense 
of touch. No voices are raised now. It is so 
still that the beating of thousands of hearts seems 
to each man listening to the deep throbs within 
his own breast, to be distinctly audible in the 
black vault. 

Jesus 
Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit. 
The trembling of the air increases. The ground 
wavers and shakes. 

Jesus 
(with a great and terrible cry) 
It is finished. 

The earth heaves like a wave of the sea. The 
rocks are rent in twain. The tombs on the hills 
are thrown open. Peals of thunder crash and 
roll along the black sky. Spectral bodies fill the 
air. A breath of cold blasts those who yet stand 
upon the hill. The affrighted people look toward 



162 Gethsemane and After. 

the knoll. To their distorted imaginations the 
crosses are alive. They seem to rise and spread 
athwart the heavens and extend gigantic arms 
menacing. A terror as of death is upon the 
Jews. They turn panic stricken and run in every 
direction. The Sanhedrists gather timorously 
around Caiaphas. Even Annas cowers behind 
the High Priest, white-faced, stern, but compell- 
ing his trembling body to rise and confront the 
silent cross. There is an uneasy movement 
among the soldiers. A hoarse word from the 
centurion recalls them to their senses. 

Presently the quaking earth is still; the dark- 
ness disappears from the sky. Almost instan- 
taneously, the afternoon sun biases upon the 
three crosses, the white-faced legionaries, the 
high priest and the deserted countryside. 

Longinus 
(wiping the sweat from his brow and looking up 
at the inert and lifeless figure of Jesus hanging 
limp and collapsed in death) 

Certainly, this was a Righteous Man. 

A Soldier 
(standing near) 
Ay, a Righteous Man. 



Gethsemane and After. 163 

Another Soldier 
{respectfully doffing his casque and standing 
erect in an attitude of attention and salute look- 
ing up at Jesus) 

Hail, King of the Jews ! 

Longinus stares hard at the huddle of priests 
grouped about the undaunted Caiaphas. 

Longinus 
(loudly and with emphasis as if in challenge) 
Truly, this was the Son of God. 



Ill 

The New Tomb in the Garden 

A galloping horse is heard. A messenger reins 
in abruptly before the chief priests, throws him- 
self to the ground and advances toward Caiaphas. 

The Messenger 
(in great agitation) 
The veil of the temple ... is rent . . . 
in twain! 

Caiaphas 
(alarmed, but mastering his emotion) 
Tell it not in Jerusalem. 

The Messenger 
(continuing) 
The dead have risen and have been seen within 
the sacred city. 

Caiaphas 
(imperiously) 
Silence! (He advances toward the hill and 
approaches the centurion.) To-morrow is the 
Sabbath day. It is not lawful that the bodies 
should remain upon the crosses on the Sabbath 
day. 



Gethsemane and After. 165 

Longinus 
(to the soldiers) 

Kill them and let them be taken down. (The 
centurion now looks upon life in a different way. 
His thoughts are turned from cruelty to pity. ) It 
will be mercy in the end (he adds). 

The soldiers with clubs and hammers approach 
the malefactors, and finding them still alive, they 
break their legs and arms and batter them into 
death and silence. Approaching the central cross, 
they are about to strike when they discover that 
THE MAN is already dead. 

First Soldier 
(lifting his spear) 
Dead already! I'll make assurance double 
sure. 

He drives the broad blade through the side in- 
to the heart of THE MAN. Water and blood 

Fush out. T 

* Longinus 

(to Caiaphas) 

They are all dead, sir priest, what now ? 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
(advancing, followed by John, who has returned 
with some of the women, some other friends and 
Nicodemus) 



166 Gethsemane and After. 

I have begged the body of the Nazarene from 
Pilate, Oh Centurion! 

Caiaphas who has withdrawn a little space 
now comes forward and listens. 

Longinus 
Thou hast authority for thy saying, Jew? 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
(presenting an order) 
Knowest thou the Governor's seal? 

Longinus 
(taking the paper) 
I know it. (He reads it.) Have thy wish. 
There He hangs. 

Caiaphas 
(stepping forward) 
What wouldst thou do with Him? 

Joseph of Arimathaea 

(pointing) 

Yonder in that garden is a new sepulcher 

wherein hath never man been laid. I shall place 

Him there. ~ 

Caiaphas 

(severely) 

I asked thee before: Art thou also, and thou, 

Nicodemus, in the following of this dead Naz- 



Gethsemane and After. 167 

arene? Neither of you were consenting to His 
death. Joseph of Arimathaea 

(dauntlessly) 
Thou shalt know in good time, Oh, Caiaphas. 

Nicodemus 
(boldly) 

Ay, thou shalt see. 

Another messenger now comes up the hill. He 
stops before Caiaphas. The High Priest turns. 

Caiaphas 
Didst thou have audience with Pilate? 

Messenger 

I did, Master. 

Caiaphas 
And my message, didst thou deliver it? 

The Messenger 
With thy very word, thus: Sir, we remember 
that that deceiver said while He was yet alive, 
After three days I will rise again. Command, 
therefore, that the sepulcher may be made sure 
until the third day, lest His disciples come 
by night and steal Him away and say unto the 
people, He is risen from the dead; so the last 
error shall be worse than the first 



168 Gethsemane and After. 

Caiaphas 

(condescendingly) 

Thou hast well remembered. And what said 

the Roman? 

The Messenger 

Lo, this is his answer: Ye have a watch. Go 

your way, make it as sure as ye can. 

Caiaphas 
(turning) 
Dost hear, Centurion? 

Longinus 
(curtly) 
I am a soldier. I must have more than the 
word of a hireling for that. 

The Messenger 
(producing an order) 
Behold, the signet of the noble Pilate. 

Longinus 
(examining it) 
This order also shall be carried out. (Turn- 
ing to Joseph of Arimathaea.) Where is this 
tomb of thine? 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
'Tis cut in the side of the little hill in yonder 
garden. 



Gethsemane and After. 169 

Longinus 
And how closest thou the entrance ? 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
With a great rock which may be rolled against 
it. 

Caiaphas 
(to a scribe) 
Stay thou here until the Nazarene be entomb- 
ed. (He hands a ring to the scribe.) See that 
the stone be sealed with my seal and then come 
and report to me. Joseph, and thou,Nicodemus — 
(He stops and looks at them in frowning men- 
ace.) We shall deal with you later on. Look to 
it. 

Annas 
(grimly pointing to the hill) 
There are crosses still to be had in Jerusalem. 
He laughs and shakes his head as they turn 
away followed by the Priests and Scribes. 

Longinus 
What shall be done with the two malefactors? 

Joseph of Arimathaea 
There are other tombs where they may be 
bestowed. 



170 Gethsemane and After. 

Nicodemus 
They died by the side (he stops and lifts his 
head) of the King. 

Longinus 

And one, at least, repentant and in prayer. 

Assisted by the soldiers and the women, Jos- 
eph, Nicodemus, their servants, and the others 
take the bodies dozvn from the crosses. That of 
Jesus, wrapped in linen and covered with myrrh 
and aloes, is borne first to the new tomb of Jos- 
eph of Arimathaea. The women who have tender- 
ly assisted walk along beside the bearers, weeping, 
wailing and wringing their hands. The tomb is 
a cave cut in the rocky hillside. It is empty. 
Within are shelves or benches of stone cut from 
the wall, on one of which they place the body. 

In an adjacent tomb, smaller and more hum- 
ble, the bodies of the two thieves are also laid 
decently away. 

A great stone, requiring the united efforts of 
the soldiers and of the Jewish attendants of Jos- 
eph and Nicodemus is then rolled to the mouth of 
the sepulcher. Tapes are stretched across the 
joints of the stone and wax is poured upon them, 
which is then sealed by the scribe with the High 



Gethsemane and After. 171 

Priest's signet, so that any movement of the stone 
will break the seals. 

It is now late in the evening. Joseph, Nico- 
demus and the women, with their attendants, re- 
tire; promising to come back after the Sabbath 
day has passed and more fittingly prepare the 
body of Jesus for what they believe will 
be a last long sleep, than they can do in the 
brief time which has been at their disposal. Two 
of the soldiers are set to guard the tomb. The 
others retire some distance into the garden, and, 
kindling a fire, partake of their evening meal, 
while they discuss the strange events of the 
day. 

And THE MAN is left alone, shut up in His 
tomb, which is sealed with the seals of the Church 
and guarded by the swords of the Empire. The 
long agony and suffering are over — eternally 
over. 



Part VI 
THE RESURRECTION 



I 

The Testimony of the Soldiers 

Scene: A street in Jerusalem leading from 
the Praetorium to the house of Caiaphas. Time : 
Very early in the morning of the third day after 
the crucifixion of THE MAN. 

It is still dark. A few flickering lights show 
dimly here and there from windows or walls. It 
is very quiet. The street is deserted save for a 
little handful of Roman soldiers who are slow- 
ly approaching the Praetorium. They shrink 
together nervously as they walk, starting at each 
shadow as they pass. They preserve no order. 
Their faces are downcast, and instead of the bold 
bearing of sturdy legionaries, they give every evi- 
dence of extreme agitation. They are, in fact, 
completely unnerved. As they draw near the 
Praetorium, their steps falter and slacken; their 
progress almost ceases, 

A Voice 

(out of the darkness) 
Halt! Who goes there? 



176 Gethsemane and After. 

The approaching soldiers stop suddenly in great 
confusion. One steps toward them from the 
entrance to the Praetorium. It is the centurion 
making his rounds. His sword flashes in a faint 
gleam of light from a dying torch on the front 
of the building. 

Longinus 
(questioning) 
Whom have we here? (He steps nearer.) 
Why, 'tis the guard from the tomb of the Naz- 
arenet (He stares at them in astonishment.) 
Are ye all here? (He inspects them rapidly.) 
Ay, every one. Why have ye left your post? 
First Soldier 
(falteringly) 
Most noble Captain! 

His voice dies away. He looks from one to 
the other of his companions. 
Longinus 
(sternly) 
Speak ! I command you. For a soldier of the 
legion to desert his post. . . . (He pauses 
abruptly.) What is the punishment? 
Second Soldier 
(whispering) 
Death, lord. 



Gethsemane and After. 177 

longinus 
(nodding his head) 
Thou hast well said, soldier. 

Third Soldier 
(interrupting) 
We have been as dead men already, Oh Cen- 
turion ! 

Longinus 
(turning) 
Ha! What mean ye by that? 

Fourth Soldier 
An hour or so agone my comrade here (point- 
ing to another soldier) and I had the watch. The 
others slept by the fire. Ye know the place. All 
was still. It was the intensest quiet of the night, 
the hour before the dawn, when . . . 

He moistens his lips and looks nervously at his 
comrades. 

Longinus 
(deeply interested) 
Proceed. Why halt ye? 

Fourth Soldier 
(uncertainly) 
The story is so incredible. 



178 Gethsemane and After. 

Longinus 

(decisively) 

I will be the judge of that. Speak on (with 

a look of contempt at the huddle of legionaries) 

and as becometh men who follow the Eagles of 

Rome. 

Fourth Soldier 
(nerving himself to continue) 
My fellow and I were awake. We kept care- 
ful watch albeit there seemed no need, when 
suddenly the place was filled with light . . . 

Longinus 
(astonished) 



Light! 



Tis even so. 



Fourth Soldier 
(earnestly) 



Fifth Soldier 

(nodding) 

May the gods destroy us if it be not true ! 

Longinus 
(questioning) 
Whence came this light? 

Fourth Soldier 
Sir, I know not. It filled the garden. 



Gethsemane and After. 179 

Longinus 
Flashed it like lightning? 

Fifth Soldier 
(interrupting) 
Nay, it glowed like the sun. 

Longinus 
(turning to the others) 
And ye who slept, did ye see it also? 

First Soldier 
My lord, it awakened us on the instant. 

Sixth Soldier 
I found myself on my knees staring dazzled. 

Second Soldier 
I to my feet arose and gazed bewildered. 

Eighth Soldier 
I covered my eyes with my hands. 

Longinus 
(passing his hand across his brow) 
Strange ! 

Fourth Soldier 
There is more, my lord. For even as we look- 
ed we were aware of a . . . a presence. 



180 Gethsemane and After. 

longinus 
(eagerly) 
Was it the Nazarene? 

Fourth Soldier 
No. 

LONGINUS 

(disappointed) 
Who then? 

Fourth Soldier 
We cannot tell. 

Fifth Soldier 
A messenger from the gods belike. 

Longinus 
How looked he? 

Fourth Soldier 
His countenance was like the lightning. 

Fifth Soldier 
(his voice sinking to a whisper) 
His raiment white as snow. 

Longinus 
(catching his breath and turning to the others) 
Saw ye this messenger of the gods? 



Gethsemane and After. 181 

Several Soldiers 
(together) 
Ay, even as he saith. 

Longinus 

What then? 

Fourth Soldier 

The earth shook as it did when we crucified 
the Nazarene. We could not maintain our foot- 
ing. The messenger of the gods approached the 
stone closing the tomb, as we fell to the ground. 
He laid his hand upon it. We saw it move . . . 
fall 

The soldier stops abruptly. The legionaries 
crowd closer together and confront the centurion, 
their white faces and sweat covered brows show- 
ing faintly in the dim light from the torch above. 

Longinus 
(his own voice scarcely audible) 
What then? Who came forth? 
The soldiers make no answer. 

Longinus 
(insisting) 

What saw ye ? 

Fifth Soldier 
(in an awestruck voice) 



182 Gethsemane and After. 

My lord, we were as dead men. After the 
moving of the stone we saw nothing. 

Fourth Soldier 
(in a shamefaced way) 
We had fainted. 

Longinus 
(with passionate contempt and disappointment) 
Fainted! Like women? Would I had been 
there ! 

First Soldier 
(resentfully) 
My lord, if thou hadst . . . 

Seventh Soldier 
(interrupting) 
I fear naught in human shape, nor ravening 
beast, but this was of the immortal gods. 

Longinus 
(recovering his composure) 
Proceed. What next? 

Second Soldier 
(explaining) 
When our eyes were opened, the place was 
dark. The fire burned fitfully beneath the trees. 
One seized a torch . . . 



Gethsemane and After. 183 

Sixth Soldier 
(taking up the tale) 
Twas I, and drawing our swords we approach- 
ed the cave in the hill. The rock was rolled 
away. 

Longinus 
(starting) 
Away, sayest thou? 

Third Soldier 
(extending his hand) 
Here are the broken seals. 

Fourth Soldier 
Together we peered into the tomb. 

Longinus 
(eagerly) 
What saw ye? 

Fifth Soldier 



Nothing ! 
Nothing ! 



Longinus 
(amazed) 



Fourth Soldier 
(firmly) 
My lord, the tomb was empty. 



184 Gethsemane and After. 

Longinus 
(more and more surprised) 
It was no dream of thine, then ? 

Fifth Soldier 
(indignant) 
Dream? Hadst thou been there . . . 

Longinus 
(uplifting his hand) 
Didst search the garden? 

First Soldier 
At once. 

Longinus 
(eagerly) 
And found? 

Fifth Soldier 
Nothing. 

Longinus 
And then ? 

Fifth Soldier 
There being naught left to watch, we came 
here. 

Longinus 
(severely, looking from one to another) 
And is this the truth? 



Gethsemane and After. 185 

Voices 
By Jove ! \ 

By Hercules ! > We swear ! 

By all the gods ! ) 

Fourth Soldier 

(earnestly) 

Thou knowest us, Longinus. Thou hast led 

us on many a field. Thou knowest our temper 

and our courage. We fear not man, but this 

was something more. 

Longinus 
What more? 

Fourth Soldier 
I know not. 

Longinus 
(shaking has head and falling into r every) 
The Son of God! The King of the Jews! 
Tis passing strange. There is more in this than 
my Roman brain can grasp. 

He pauses in deep thought. The Fifth Soldier 
at last ventures to break the silence. 

Fifth Soldier 
What now, my lord? 



186 Gethsemane and After. 

Longinus 
(recovering himself by an effort) 
Go ye to Caiaphas; tell him your story and 
return hither to me. 

The soldiers salute, and turn to go down the 
street. The Fifth Soldier halts them. With a 
gesture, he turns and faces Longinus. 

Fifth Soldier 
(wistfully) 
Centurion, believest thou that we have spoken 
true? 

Longinus 
(hesitating) 
I believe. 

Fifth Soldier 
(relieved) 
We thank thee. Comrades, forward! 
As their footsteps die away in the street, Lon- 
ginus paces the pavement back and forth ponder- 
ing. The Son of God! This passeth the exper- 
ience of a soldier and is beyond the ken of man. 
The King of the Jews ! I heard the noble Pilate 
ask, What is truth? What, indeed? 

He remains silent a long time. Presently he 
sits down upon the edge of the portico, wrapping 



Gethsemane and After. 187 

his cloak about him. He is plunged in deep 
thought. 

Light softly pervades the East. After a while 
footfalls are heard again upon the pavement. 
Arms and armor clash faintly. The soldiers are 
returning. The centurion rises to his feet as 
they come to a halt before him. 

Longinus 
You have discharged your errand quickly. 
What said the priests? 

First Soldier 
At first they swore we lied. 

Second Soldier 
(tapping his blade) 
But we persuaded them we spoke true. 

Third Soldier 
They charged us with being cowards. 

Fourth Soldier 
And we laughed at them for that. 

Fifth Soldier 
The very old one, he of the shrill, cracked 
laugh .... 



188 Gethsemane and After. 

Longinus 

Annas ? 

Fifth Soldier 

So they called him — said at last, what mattered 
it how, so long as the body of the Nazarene was 
gone. They said He had declared that He would 
rise from the dead in three days and lest this 
should be believed and the people be perverted 
thereby they told us to declare that while we 
slept His disciples came and stole Him away. 

He laughs scornfully at the bare idea of such 
a dereliction of duty on the part of Roman sol- 
diers. 

Sixth Soldier 
{extending a hand full of bright pieces of gold) 

Ay, and they gave each of us the price of 
many slaves to agree to this story. 

Longinus 
But if it come to the ears of the Governor? 

Seventh Soldier 
They have promised to persuade him to secure 
us. 

Longinus 
And what said ye? 



Gethsemane and After. 189 

Eighth Soldier 
(laughing) 

The gold is good, most noble captain. 
He jingles his portion lovingly in his palm. It 
is lighter now and the legionaries are not so fear- 
ful as they were. 

Longinus 
(caustically) 
And ye so agreed? 

All 
(together) 
We agreed. 

Fourth Soldier 

(insinuatingly) 

Knowing that if the worst came thou couldst 

tell the governor the truth, most noble Longinus. 

So we have the Jews' money and our safety, 

too. 

Sixth Soldier 
(proffering money) 
A share of ours is thine. 

Longinus 
(wairing him away abruptly) 
I want none of it. Perhaps the priests have 
found the easiest way. Go ye to your quarters; 



190 Gethsemane and After. 

and, hark ye, say naught of this to any man un- 
less upon compulsion. 

Soldiers 
(saluting) 
We shall obey thee. 
Health to the Centurion ! 
Hail and farewell ! 

The gods have thee in their keeping, O most 
excellent Longinus! 

Longinus 
(watching them disappear within the barracks 
and then looking up to the sky) 

The day breaks. 

He, too, turns and slowly follows the soldiers. 



II 

The Testimony of the Women 

Scene: A garden outside the walls of Jeru- 
salem, at the back of which rises a cliff in whose 
wall is cut an opening which has been covered or 
closed by a slab of dressed stone, now lying on 
the ground at one side. Time: Just before the 
break of day on the third day after the crucifix- 
ion. 

Three naked crosses upon a hill far away from 
the garden, faintly silhouetted against the almost 
impalpable grayness that steals above the hori- 
zon, are grim reminders of the terrible scene of 
the preceding Friday. 

A little band of women, Mary Magdalene, Sa- 
lome, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and 
perhaps others, are seen on the path branching 
from the high road and approaching the garden. 

Mary Magdalene 
(in great distress of mind) 
Who shall roll us away the stone from the door 
of the sepulcher? 

Salome 
(hesitatingly) 
Perhaps the Roman soldiers . . . 



192 Gethsemane and After. 

Joanna 
(interrupting) 
But they may not permit us access to the 
tomb. 

Mary the Mother of James 
(nodding her head) 
Ay, it bears the seal of the high priest you 
recall. 

Joanna 
(explaining) 
But if we break the seal, it is not the same as 
if the Lord had done so. 

Mary Magdalene 
(suddenly) 
Hush! 

The little group stops at the entrance to the 
garden. The women listen. 

Salome 
(whispering) 
I hear nothing. 

Mary Magdalene 
(pointing) 
The fire light dies. The soldiers should be 
there. 



Gethsemane and After. 193 

Joanna 
(gazing toward the dim light) 
Perhaps they sleep. 

Mary Magdalene 
(resolutely) 
Let us enter. 

With careful steps the little band of women 
enters the garden and walks cautiously toward the 
fire. They stop upon the confines of what had 
been the camp and look about them in surprise, 
speaking to one another in low, hushed voices. 

Mary the Mother of James 
They are not here. 

Salome 
Where have they gone? 

Mary Magdalene 
(after a moment's deep thought) 
Let us go to the sepulcher. 
She steps forward, followed by the others, when 
they are suddenly aware of a bright unearthly 
light through the trees. 

Salome 
(in terror) 
What is that? 



194 Gethsemane and After. 

Mary the Mother of James 
(affrighted) 
Tis not the day. 

Salome 
(nervously) 
The God of our fathers defend us now. 

Joanna 
(peering and pointing) 
The stone is rolled away! 
They stop uncertainly and huddle together. 



Mary Magdalene 
(detaching herself from the others) 

I go forward. 

She steps on in the direction of the sepulcher 
and after a momentary hesitation the other wo- 
men follow her closely. She stops in the open 
doorway. The stone has been rolled away. The 
place is radiant with a light supernal. Just with- 
in the entrance upon one of the benches sits a 
white-robed resplendent -figure. 

Mary Magdalene raises her hand to her face 
and stares petrified. The other women are close 
by her side. The little group stands as if rooted 
to the spot. The light grows brighter. On a 



Gethsemane and After. 195 

sudden impulse they veil their heads. A voice 
comes to them. 

The Angel 

Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus 
which was crucified. 

There is a little pause in which the women can 
hear the beating of their own hearts. 

The Angel 

He is not here. He is risen as He said. 

The women, as if constrained, lift their heads 
and look again. The Angel has risen. He points 
into the recesses of the sepulcher clearly visible 
in the supernal light. 

Come ! See the place where the Lord lay. 

He beckons to them. The women timidly and 
with faltering steps obeying the heavenly com- 
mand slowly enter a little farther into the sep- 
ulcher and look about. 

The Angel. 
Why seek ye Him that liveth among the dead? 
He is not here, but is risen. Remember how He 
spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, say- 
ing, The Son of Man must be delivered in- 
to the hands of sinful men and be crucified 
. . . and the third day rise again. 



196 Gethsemane and After. 

In obedience to a gesture from the Angel, the 
women withdraw from the sepulcher and stand 
uncertainly about the entrance. The Angel fol- 
lows them and pauses before them. 

The Angel 
(extending his hand toward the city) 
Go quickly. Tell His disciples and Peter, He 
is risen from the dead. And, behold, He goeth 
before you into Galilee. There shall ye see Him. 
(He pauses again.) Lo, I have told you. 
He vanishes. 
The women are left alone in the darkness. 

Salome 
(whispering) 
Heardest thou? 

Joanna 
(faintly) 
Sawest thou? 

Mary the Mother of James 
(stepping back) 
Let us go and tell the disciples as we were, 
commanded. 

They turn away; all but Mary Magdalene. 



Gethsemane and After. 197 

Joanna 
(laying her hand upon Mary Magdalene's shoul- 
der) 

Comest thou? 

Mary Magdalene shakes her head. 

Joanna 
(understanding) 

Wait thou here then and we will return for 
thee with Peter and the rest. 

The three turn and go quickly from the gar- 
den. Mary Magdalene throws herself upon the 
ground and buries her face in her hands praying 
and weeping. Presently, she is aware again of 
the light, the supernal light. She lifts her 
head and rises to her knees. Within the tomb 
she sees two figures, one at the foot and the other 
at the head of the place where they had laid 
THE MAN. Again there comes to her a voice. 

The Angels 
Woman, why weepest thou? 

Mary Magdalene 
(apparently not having realised the message of 
the first Angel.) 
Because they have taken away my Lord and 
I know not where they have laid Him. 



198 Gethsemane and After. 

She turns away and staggers through the trees 
into the depths of the garden. There she kneels 
down and buries her face in her hands, her whole 
body shaking with sobs. In the midst of her 
grief she hears a footstep. She looks up. A 
Figure may be seen dimly in the darkness, for 
the sun has not yet risen and the pale light of 
breaking day has not gathered sufficient power 
to penetrate beneath the shadow cast by the trees. 

A Voice 
(repeating the angelic question) 
Woman, why weepest thou? 
Mary Magdalene makes no answer to this 
question. 

The Voice 
(persisting in questioning) 
Whom seekest thou? 

Mary Magdalene 
(brushing the tears from her eyes with her hand 
and speaking to herself) 

It is the gardener. (Aloud to the speaker.) 
Sir, I seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was laid 
there. He is gone. If thou have borne Him hence, 
tell me where thou hast laid Him and I will take 
Him away. 



Gethsemane and After. 199 

She bows her head and hides her face in her 
hands again. There is a little pause. 

The Voice 
Mary! 

The woman lowers her hands and looks up. 
There is a strange and sudden light in the place. 
Now she sees and believes. 

Mary Magdalene 
(with a low cry of ecstasy) 

Rabboni ! Master ! 

She reaches out her hands to Him as if to 
touch Him. 

Jesus 
(withdrawing slightly and raising His hand 
clearly marked with the imprint of the nail) 

Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to 
My Father: but go to my brethren and say 
unto them, I ascend unto My Father and 
your Father, and to My God and your God. 

He vanishes. 

Mary Magdalene rises to her feet, supporting 
herself with her hand upon a tree. 

Mary Magdalene 
I have seen the Lord ! He is risen ! 



200 Gethsemane and After. 

She turns and leaves the garden following the 
direction of the other women. 

After a long time footsteps are heard upon 
the road. A rapidly running figure followed 
closely by another rushes through the trees and 
stops abruptly at the mouth of the sepulcher. The 
space in front of it is slightly clear and in the 
increasing light of day, for the sun is up at last, 
every comer is disclosed. The first comer kneels 
down at the entrance. The second person now 
arrives before the sepulcher. He does not stop 
at the door. Passing the first, he enters and 
stands aghast. After a moment the kneeling 
man rises and follows the second into the sepul- 
cher. 

Peter 
(in wonder) 
He is not here. 

John 
They laid Him there. 

Peter 
(laying his hand upon the cloth) 
Here is the linen which clothed Him. 



Gethsemane and After. 201 

John 
(stooping down) 
And here the napkin that was about His head. 

Peter 
The women have told the truth. 

John 
Oh, that some Angel from heaven would speak 
to us and explain. 

Peter 
No voice from heaven will come to me, for I 
denied my Lord. 

John 
(soothingly, putting his arm about the older 
man) 

But thou wast terribly tempted and He will 
forgive thee. I feel it here. 
He lays his hand upon his breast. 

Peter 
Thinkest thou so? 

John 
I know it; did He not say unto thee, Until 
seventy times seven? 

Peter 
They have taken Him away. He is gone. If 



202 Gethsemane and After. 

He lives I will seek him throughout the world 
until I find Him to beg His forgiveness. Come, 
let us tell the others of the story. 

John 
(turning with him) 
And the linen? 

Peter 
Leave it there. Let us go to Joseph of Ari- 
mathaea and Nicodemus and the brethren. 

They turn and walk quickly away in deep and 
solemn converse; and the little garden is left 
empty of angels, of women, of men, and of its 
Lord, in the bright light of the brilliant April, 
morning. 



Ill 

The Upper Chamber. 

Scene : A large room in the upper story of a 
house in Jerusalem. Tables are set for the even- 
ing meal of which most of the company have al- 
ready partaken, though some late comers are 
still eating. Time: Evening of the third day 
after the crucifixion. 

Ten of the apostles, Judas being dead and 
Thomas being absent, are assembled here. With 
the ten are other disciples and among them are 
the faithful women. They are talking earnestly 
in low, hushed voices. Peter is the center of one 
group; Mary Magdalene of another; Salome, 
Joanna and Mary the Mother of James, of a 
third. By the side of Mary Magdalene sits Mary 
the Mother of Jesus. Back of her, his hand laid 
tenderly upon her shoulder, stands John. There 
is constant movement to and fro, a shifting from 
group to group as different voices are heard. 

Mary Magdalene 
(emphatically) 
I have seen the Lord. He is risen from the 
dead. 



204 Gethsemane and After. 

Simon Peter 
(corroborating her) 
He is risen indeed and hath appeared unto 
me. 

Salome 
As we were returning to the garden this morn- 
ing we met Him in the way. 

John 
Spake He unto you? 

Salome 
Yea, He spake. 

Andrew 
What said He? 

The Women 
Hail! All hail! 

James 
What did ye then? 

Salome 
We knelt at His feet to worship Him and He 
said unto us, Be not afraid, go tell My brethren 
that they go into Galilee. There shall they see 
Me. 

Mary Magdalene 
It is the same message with which He charged 
me. 



Gethsemane and After. 205 

Nathaniel 
Would that I might see the Lord! 

James, Andrew, John and Others of the 
Apostles 

Would that we all might see Him! 

There is a low knock on the door. Those with- 
in the room stop still in surprise not unmingled 
with terror. Their voices falter and cease, 

John 
{timidly) 
Who can it be? 

Andrew 
{in a frightened whisper) 
Is it the Lord? 

Peter 
{more boldly) 
I shall open the door. 

He steps to the door, unbars it and throws it 
open. 

Peter 
{raising his hands in astonishment) 
Cleopas ! 

A man enters the room followed by a com- 
panion. 



206 Gethsemane and After. 

Peter 
Thou art welcome, Cleopas, and thou, too, 
Luke. 
He closes and securely bars the door. 

John 

{pressing forward) 
The Lord hath risen indeed and hath appeared 
to Simon. 

Celopas 
{gravely) 
That we know. 

James 
{in great surprise) 
Hast thou, too, seen Him.? 

Cleopas 
{nodding affirmatively) 
With Luke, the beloved Physician. 

Luke 
It is even so. 

Voices 
(in great excitement) 
When? 
Where? 

How looked He? 
What said He? 



Gethsemane and After. 207 

Cleopas 
(stilling them with a gesture) 
Give me leave, brethren, and I will tell thee. 
This afternoon, I, and Luke, here, set forth 
from the Holy City for our home at Emmaus, 
which, as ye know, lieth about three-score fur- 
longs hence. Our hearts were heavy and we 
talked together sadly, as men without hope, of 
all the things that had happened. And it came 
to pass that while we communed together One 
drew near, joined Himself to us and went with 
us. 

Peter 
(interrupting) 
And who was He? 

Luke 
We knew not ; our eyes were holden. He was 
to us a stranger. 

John 
What said He? 

Cleopas 
He said to us, What manner of communications 
are these that ye have one with another as ye 
walk and are sad? 



208 Gethsemane and After. 

Andrew 
(pressing closer) 
And what answer madest thou? 

Cleopas 
I said to Him: Art thou only a stranger in 
Jerusalem and hast not known these things which 
are come to pass there in these days? 

Luke 
And He said unto us: What things? 

Cleopas 

And we said unto Him, concerning Jesus of 
Nazareth which was a prophet mighty in deed 
and word before God and all the people, and how 
the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him 
to be condemned to death and have crucified Him, 
but we trusted it had been He which should have 
redeemed Israel. And beside all this, to-day was 
the third day since those things were done, 
wherefore we marveled the more that He had not 
heard. 

Luke 

Yea, we told Him that certain women also of 
our company made us astonished for they were 
early at the sepulcher and when they found not 
His body, they came back saying that they had 



Gethsemane and After. 209 

seen a vision of angels which said that He was 
alive. 

Cleopas 

And we told Him that certain of them which 
were with us, thou, John, and thou, Peter, went 
to the sepulcher and found it empty as the wo- 
men had said, but Jesus they saw not. 

Cleopas pauses. The room is very still. Peter 
breaks the silence. 

Peter 
(in a low voice) 
And what said thy Companion then? 

Cleopas 
These are His very words : Oh fools, and slow 
of heart to believe all that the prophets have 
spoken ! Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
things, and to enter into His glory ? 

Peter 
(his face lighting) 
Ay, He said unto us in Galilee — ye remember 
it brethren? — that the Son of Man must be de- 
livered up into the hands of sinful men to be cru- 
cified and the third day He would rise again. 



210 Gethsemane and After. 

Mary Magdalene 
(softly) 
It was the very message of the angel. 

John 
(anxious for more tidings) 
Say on. 

Cleopas 
As we walked along, beginning at Moses and 
all the prophets, He expounded unto us in all 
the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 
When we drew nigh unto the village, He made as 
though He would have gone further, but we con- 
strained Him saying, Abide with us for it is 
toward evening, and the day is far spent. 

Peter 
And did He accede to thy request? 

Luke 

Even so. He entered with us into the house 
and we did set the evening meal before Him — 

(The disciple stops; he looks at Cleopas — ) 
Tell it thou (he adds in a whisper.) 

Celopas 
And He took bread and blessed it and brake 
it and gave it unto us and our eyes were opened-^ 



Gethsemane and After. 211 

— there is a long pause — And we knew He was 
the Lord. 

Peter 
And what then? 

Cleopas 
Even in the act He vanished from our sight. 
I looked to Luke and he to me. We were alone. 

Mary Magdalene 
He is risen. 

Luke 
Christ is risen, indeed \ 

Cleopas 
{turning to his companion) 
Did not our hearts burn within us while He 
talked with us by the way? 

Luke 
And while He opened to us the Scriptures ? 

Cleopas 
{addressing the others) 
And then we came hither with all speed to tell 
you of what we had seen. 

Peter 
{emphatically) 
Thou hast well done. The Master hath been 



212 Gethsemane and After. 

seen of Mary, of the other women, by me who 
am the least of us all, and by you and . . . 

He stops abruptly. 

Standing in the middle of the room is the fig- 
ure of THE MAN. They all rise to their feet 
and stand aghast. There is a tendency to avoid 
Him. No one presumes to speak. Their knees 
strike together. Their hearts stop beating. Only 
His Mother stretches out her hand to Him. Peter 
sinks to his knees and hides his face. The dimly 
illuminated room is full of irradiant light. 

Jesus 

Peace be unto you! 

They shrink farther away from Him and 
crowd one another back against the walls, terror 
evidently getting the mastery of them. 

Jesus 

Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts 
arise in your hearts? He steps to them and ex- 
tends His hands. Behold My hands and My feet, 
that it is I Myself. 

The stigmata are plainly visible in His palms 
and in His feet as He thrusts them from beneath 
the robe of dazzling purity that He wears. 



Gethsemane and After. 213 

Jesus 

Handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh 
and bones as ye see Me have. 

He turns to John. He lays His hand upon 
the shoulder of Mary, His mother. Mary Mag- 
dalene falls at His feet. The others, recovering 
their courage a little now press timidly closer 
to Him. Whispers run through the apartment. 

Voices 
It is He! 

He is risen as He said! 
It is the Lord ! 

Jesus 

(as the murmurs die away) 

Have ye here any meat? 

James and Nathaniel turn to the table and 

reverently and humbly present Him with a piece 

of broiled iish and a morsel of honeycomb. THE 

MAN partakes of them while they watch in si- 

lence - Jesus 

These are the words which I spake unto you 
while I was yet with you, that all things must 
be fulfilled which were written in the law of 
Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms 
concerning Me. 



214 Gethsemane and After. 

He quotes to them the words of the Sacred 

Books and they listen with bated breath until at 

last He resumes. T 

Jesus 

Thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ 
to suffer and to rise from the dead the third 
day, and that repentance and remission of sins 
should be preached in His name among all nations 
beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of 
these things. Peace be unto you ! As My Father 
hath sent Me, even so send I you. 

As He speaks thus, He approaches more nearly 
the ten chosen who have unconsciously gathered 
together and now stand apart from the rest. 

Jesus 
(breathing upon them) 
Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins 
ye remit, they are remitted unto them and who- 
soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 
As He speaks. He vanishes from their sight. 

John 

(solemnly) 

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us 

and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the 

Only Begotten of the Father full of grace and 

truth. 



IV. 

The Confession of the Doubter. 

Scene: The same upper chamber. Time: 
One week later. 

Those present are substantially as before. With 
them, however, is Thomas. 

Peter 
(expostulating) 
But I tell thee we have seen Him. 

John 
(earnestly) 
He was here. 

James 
(urgently) 
He breathed upon us and gave us power. 

Nathaniel 
(pointing) 
He partook of our evening meal. 

Mary Magdalene 
(dreamily) 
I saw Him in the garden. He is risen. 



216 Gethsemane and After. 

Cleopas 
(nodding his head) 
He walked with us to Emmaus. 

Luke 
We knew Him in the breaking of the bread. 

Thomas 
(stubbornly) 

As I told ye before, Except I shall see in His 
hands the print of the nails, and put my finger 
into the place of the nails, and thrust my hand 
into His side, I will not believe. 

There is a breath of air in the apartment, and 
although the door is tightly closed and barred, 
the company are conscious again that THE 
MAN is visibly in the midst of them. 

Jesus 

Peace be unto you ! 

The Apostles approach Him reverently and 
surround Him except Thomas, who stands 
amazed and staring. Jesus turns toward the 
doubter. The others at once separate to give 
Thomas access to the Lord. 

Jesus 
(exhibiting His palm) 
Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold 



Gethsemane and After. 217 

My hands; reach hither thy hand, and thrust it 
into My side, and be not faithless but believing. 

Thomas 
(falling upon his knees) 
My Lord and my God! 

Jesus 
Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast 
believed. Blessed are they that have not seen 
and yet have believed. 
He vanishes. 

Thomas 
(falling upon his face) 
My Lord and my God! 



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